Whats TheDeal With Chen The Cheerleader? A TLNM Theory

What’s the Deal with Chen the Cheerleader? A TLNM Theory

So I’ve mentioned it before in this post a while back, but I think it’s time to make an official theory post on this.

So. Chen the Cheerleader- or Chad the Cheerleader, depending on your source. Seems to be a pretty 1-note bully with one mean cheer and no other importance in the movie, only point of interest is that he shares a name from a major antagonist from the show, yada yada.

But what if I were to tell you...

There’s two of him?

That’s right, identical twins (or, rather, identical cousins) Chen and Chad. And bonus cousin Skylor, though we’ll get back to that.

But Imp!, you cry, how are you so certain there’s two?

Because, my beloved fellow fans- I have evidence. And I chose to find the in-universe explanation for “they just reused a lot of the same models.

Take the bus scene at the start of the film. Lloyd gets on the bus- and who’s that about two rows behind him?

Chen (even sitting next to Maggie). But when we cut to the school, as the bus is still pulling up (before it even lets anyone off)-

There he is again! On and off the bus at the same time!

And that’s not all- during the GarmAlarm, we see a bunch of Generals do what Garmadon commands- including “pop that kid’s balloon!” And in the background-

Yet when we cut back to Ninjago High almost immediately after-

Conclusion: Chen and Chad are two separate people, possibly identical cousins or twins.

And bonus- though less of a theory and more of a headcanon- is that their last name is Amber / Chen (so Chen is Chen “the Cheerleader” Amber- or, for his full name, Chenifer Chenber Jamber Amber II, and Chad is Chad Amber- or for his full name, Chadler Jamber Amber Jr III), they’re related to Skylor (personal hc is that she gets to be an evil girlboss in the movieverse), Master Chen (or, rather, Mafia Chen), and have the potential to be inheritors of the Element of Amber (in personal hc Chen actually has it, though his family, including Chen, believe Chad has it).

But that’s just a theory!

“YIELD!”

Cold water stings at the front of Kai’s gi, his ankle sore and swollen. Sand manages to squeeze its way past the small holes in the fabric. It scratches, burning against cuts and bruises, and does not relent.

Neither does Kai.

He braces his hand against a rock outcrop poking out of the water, stretching so far with his other hand his muscles strain and scream at his sides. A hand, nails sharp, digs into his upper back, a few fingers grabbed his hair in a brutal pinch. A knee jabs into his lower back.

“I,” Kai grits out through clenched teeth, reaching for the sword hilt so tantalizingly close, “do not yield.”

His little brother— no, Morro possessing his little brother, his hair black, eyes cold and merciless— tightens his grip. He raises the axe in his free hand.

“Last chance,” Morro snarls. “Your little brother here doesn’t want me to swing, but I’ll do it if I have to, even if he won’t shut up after. Yield, or die.”

The tips of Kai’s fingers brush the sword hilt, pushing it ever so slightly further from his grasp. He closes one eye and strains so far something in his side seems to rip.

“Go... to the ducking Cursed Realm.”

Morro’s eyes narrow. “I’ve been there. You’ll enjoy it.”

The axe rises above his head, blade a glinting guillotine. Kai’s head is pushed to the rock like a butcher’s cutting board. Fog settles around them, the air dense as the whole world holds its breath.

“So long, fire ninja.”

The axe swings down—

—only to meet the blade of a weapon, Kai holding the Sword Sanctuary above his head. He catches a glimpse of a vision of Morro pulling his knee back to kick his ribs in along the glimmering metal and rolls just as Morro lifts the pressure from his lower back. Water splashes out of his way as he frees himself, pushing himself to one knee.

His eyes narrow. “You give my brother back.”

Morro laughs. “Or what? You’re alone, injured, surrounded by water— you have no hope. Give up and die with honour.”

Fog seems to hiss from Kai’s mouth. No— the faint wisps of white smoke, like an extinguished candle.

But it isn’t Kai’s candle of life that’s been extinguished. Small sparks of embers snap at the hilt of his sword, burning brighter and brighter. The tips of his hair turn to flames, hands ablaze, eyes glowing pools of bonfires.

The flickering embers transform into a fiery dragon behind him, sizzling steam rising from where it’s claws touch the shallow water.

“Give up?” Kai snarls, and the dragon snarls with him. “I’ll never give up on my little brother.”

And he leaps into battle, fire snapping around him as it crashes into the furious storm, sword against axe, flames against wind, brother against brother, protector against ghost.

------

@demm-210​

I wrote a short thing for this amazing drawing, hope it’s good! 

literally a scene that never happened in the series, but let me dream.

Side Blog Project Assignment

Hey all! Usually I don’t self-promote but, while not Ninjago based, I have a major project for homework where I need to make a Tumblr Blog with 3 short stories & transmedia elements based on one of the listed prompts. I chose “Alone together” and am happy to announce a fun little blog project called “Lonely Letters from Xeria”, a found family fantasy isekai original story for your enjoyment! 

https://www.tumblr.com/blog/lonely-letters-from-xeria

I will be posting small updates daily (along with the big letter updates roughly once a week) for the next 3 weeks ; character asks are highly welcome and appreciated (though they might not be answered immediately)- feel free to check it out, ask questions if you wish (anon is available if you prefer that), you can spam questions now if you want and I'll save them for the journey, etc. or send asks during the event as the story unfolds

I hope you enjoy! 

- Imp

Ninjago Season 1: Episode 4: Never Trust a Snake

White has a dream where funky birb tells him to “WAKE UP, ZANE.” White follows birb’s advice and wakes up. Everything still feels inception-y and when he’s on the deck Lord G, the man, the myth, the legend shows up and demands the ice triangles and other golden plot devices. White says no. Lord G slam dunks him in a trash can.

Green Ninja ex machina appears to save him, posing dramatically with the birb.

“Who are you?” White wonders.

He never finds out because birbs flood the deck.

White wakes up for real but thinks he’s still in inception- a pillow to the face clears that up. The Fruity Bois train and do stretches on the deck with very awkward lego animation. Grumpy Old Man asks them a riddle because he is a sphinx now. They must answer the riddle, but fail miserably because they all role nat 1 on Wisdom and are more focused on who will be the Green Ninja

Meanwhile, GarmaGremlin takes the Vampire Sneks across the snow to fight the Hypno Sneks. Turns out Vampire Snek leader and Hypno Snek are total dude bros / speed run enemies to lovers and the war is called off. GarmaGremlin runs off with no allies.

He wanders the desert because this kid can just travel huge distances in short time and finds a tomb. Only one snek is inside. Very casually implied cannibalism in a kid’s show. Friendship with Hypno Snek and Vampire Snek over, now Pythor P. Chumsworth is his new best friend / henchman.

They steal candy from triplets and other very evil deeds. GarmaGremlin trauma dumps on Pythor P. Chumsworth and says he was kicked out of bad boi school because he’s a not-bad-sad-boi. Pythor P. Chumsworth suggests revenge even though we are several seasons away from a snake that wants revenge.

Grumpy Old Man still does not have an answer to his cryptic riddle. The Fruity Bois go to stop GarmaGremlin and Pythor P. Chumsworth at bad boi school. They break through the roof on an anchor and find kidnapped bad bois at the bottom, then race up. Blue takes the elevator. Black climbs the chains. Blue takes the elevator. Red and White take the stairs and get slimed. Blue takes the elevator.

Did I mention Blue takes the elevator.

Pythor P. Chumsworth is confronted by Blue, because the elevator was actually the one choice they didn’t expect, grabs the map, snitches on the kid, and dips. Blue kidnapps GarmaGremlin.

GarmaGremlin, being Grumpy Old Man’s nephew, gets read a bedtime story. Riddle is finally solved. GarmaGremlin is now GarmaLesserGremlin.

Okay Ninjago fandom, let’s see if we can play a game.

I’m going to briefly summarise the plot of of the first pilot episode in a comedic way, and the next person must do the same for the next episode. Each person must check the reblogs to so they can do the most recent episode, and we should just have a chain of simplified Ninjago episodes. You are allowed to reblog this multiple times. I’ll start:

Ninjago Pilots: Episode 1 - Way of the Ninja

Local independent business owner, Kai, gets heckled by an old man and then biker skeletons show up and kidnap Kai’s sister for no reason. The old man tells Kai that the skeletons work for his evil brother who he pushed into a hole once, and then he promises to teach Kai the art of spinning real fast. However Kai only learns the art of spilling the tea. Then Kai gets attacked by ninja and must fight them with his toothbrush!

Here's an ask for the Evil Ninja Force AU

I think Wu would definitely try to work things with his students

Oh he absolutely tries. He's not going to get too far, because those six have each other's back tighter than anything and they're sick of the city's crap, but he might be able to get them to tone it down on the world domination thing a little.

They still rule the city though, at least, and maybe a few surrounding islands / continents (hc that the other realms are continents in the movie!verse, like Djinnjago and the Never Realm and the Cloud Kingdom and whatnot)

I’ve got an evil(?)!movie Zane design inspired by Snake Jaguar? From a timeline where the Ninjaforce finally snapped under the way they were treated (after Koko gets hurt and comatosed while civilians mock her and blame Lloyd), take out Garmadon, and then take over the city

I think it would be fun if y'all reblogged this or sent me an ask with a picture of how you normally draw zane so i can draw some different zane designs for fun :]