Ninjago Crystallized Au - Tumblr Posts
Crystalized AU Idea - Vessel AU
Currently vibing with thoughts for a Crystalized AU (I’ll put it under the cut just in case the spoiler tags don’t work), feel free to send asks or use this as a prompt (just please tag me) or reblog and add your own ideas (just remember to tag spoilers!)
So the Crystal King is the vessel body of the Overlord, right?
...what if the ritual wasn’t to summon him, but to prep a new vessel host? One that’s quite familiar to us?
Option 1) Lloyd
In this version of the AU, the kidnapped Lloyd gets prepped for the ritual, and the Overlord returns possessing the hero that once vanquished him. Lloyd gets Morro trauma re-hashed, his family (who have been tearing out their hair looking for him) finally find him only for him to be possessed by the hecking OVERLORD, and Garmadon gets to have a fun reversal parallel to Season 2 in him calling for his son to fight off the Overlord.
Also Lloyd being alone when it happens, alone and scared and suddenly every bit the kid/younger teen he should be if the tea hadn’t happened, and he can do nothing to stop the Overlord from gaining the powers of Energy and the oni/dragon
Option 2) Wu
Not too many thoughts here, just the fun parallel of Wu being possessed like his brother was in S2, some of Wu’s dragon genes coming out
Option 3) Pixal
90% likely this results in a future where the Overlord wins. The other 10% he’s defeated in 5 minutes by Pixal kicking him out.
Option 4) the OG4 (Kai, Jay, Cole, AND Zane)
Four for the price of one (and my personal favourite of the bunch)! Harumi uses Lloyd to lure the four into a trap and capture them, then use them & their golden weapons in the ritual. The Overlord possesses all four at once (a 1 mind 4 bodies deal), with crystals and glowing purple eyes and slight draconic/later possibly centaur features. Sometimes just one talks for all, sometimes all four talk in sync, and sometimes one starts a sentence and the other finishes it (plus a fun mix of their original voice and the Overlord’s voice). They wield the crystalized version of the golden weapons and all their elemental powers change slightly to match the crystal theme (purple fire, purple lightning, crystal earth, and crystal ice).
The Council is half infuriated over having to bow to the four ninja, half smug over having bested them in revenge with the Overlord in control of them now. There are a few incidents where they see or hear them and nearly attack before remembering.
Also because the Overlord now has his own powers + the four elements of creation, Nya is speedrunning getting her powers back to save them. AND we get a new and improved version of the Replacement Ninja (including but not limited to: Pixal, Echo, Ronin, Fugidove, Akita, Okino & Blazey, Vania & the Upplies, and Benthomaar), and even Morro gets summoned from the Departed Realm because since he has knowledge on possessing people, he possibly has knowledge on how to UNpossess people.
3) I've got some stuff for different Vessel AUs here but yeah, Lloyd would absolutely be scarred by his four older brothers being possessed by the Overlord and that recovery journey for him and them has so much hurt/comfort potential-
I know! It's a shame that the show never explores it more (heck, we don't even know if they were crystal statues or if they would've just been crystal zombies ALA Dark Matter 2.0), and I was hoping the fandom would have me covered but nope :( I can see why (everyone collectively ignoring everything past the awesome dragon forms) but also THAT'S WHAT FANDOM IS FOR MAKING OUR OWN ENDING- also I totally thought one of the Ninja was getting crystallized in the rice field earlier in the season
2) The Golden Legend short is so good, I'll admit it was partly the inspiration for it. But just like- the OG4 coming to their senses and realizing that a. they're a DRAGON, b. they're a FOUR-HEADED DRAGON, c. they're SHARING A BODY (each of them has their respective elemental head) AS A FOUR-HEADED DRAGON, and d. their family thinks they've been turned to statues and are weeping over them and guys we're right here we're the dragon guys please listen why can't anyone understand us and why is it so HARD TO DO CHARADES AS AN UNCOORDINATED FOUR-HEADED DRAGON-
So you've seen Crystalized- good
I've got three variants of OG4 angst (that includes Jay angst) for you then-
What are your thoughts on the whole "the OG4 got turned into Crystal Zombies right at the end" thing that never got explored in the show (and I barely, if ever, see talked about in the fandom?)
So it would be cool if the Golden Dragon was not just the embodiment of the Golden Weapons + parts of the Elements of Creation, but also if they were partly the OG4... and that brings up the possibility for an AU where the OG4 get stuck as the Golden Dragon while their bodies remain statues, and they have to somehow communicate to a distraught Lloyd, Nya, Wu, Pixal, and Skylor that they're Jay, Kai, Zane, and Cole
What if instead of forging a new body... the Overlord had returned via possessing all four OG4 ninja at once? So Lloyd and the others have to fight their friends/family?
OOOOH
1. Ngl I think a reason people don’t think about that is cuz that part of Crystalized kinda. Sucked. So HEKSHDKDH BUT PERSONALLY??? I LOVE THAT CONCEPT
I’m such a sucker for any “heroes being controlled by the villain” situation. Whether it’s corruption, mind control, forced villainy, manipulation, it’s all soooooo so sick I love it so much and I wish we had SEEN the ninja getting corrupted by the crystals so bad aside from just a siNGLE FRAME
2. OOOOH reminds me of the Golden Legend short!! That sounds so interesting, I’d LOVE to delve into that kind of concept it seems so interesting!!
3. OOOOOOH that sounds verrry cool :D tbh I’m more partial to the Overlord possessing LLOYD, I thought that’s what was going to happen in the first place, but possessing the OG 4 instead??? Very cool, the idea of them speaking ominously in sync is a very strong image in my head when I think of that. Would definitely scar Lloyd for life omg poor dude BDKDHD