I really enjoy how Kaido is like the oppisite of Saiki in ambitions liike Saiki the powerful psychic boy just wants to be normal and Kaido the normal scardy cat of a boy just wants to be special, and they both like do most things with those goals in mind. But deep down theres a sort of want to be understood for both of they aren’t entirely opposites but anyways, people have probably pointed this stuff out before but uave you ever thought of this: Kaido and Saiki could be each others special and normal like omg imagine after Kaido’s initial shock and stuff at the power reveal, him being like “and you seriously chose to stick around and be MY friend?! And I’m special to you?!” like a powerful psychic with crazy powers beyond your imagination is one of your closest friends, maybe you are special in some ways! And Saiki like getting treated as normal by Kaido, him not being seen as some imitating silent figure or as someone completely invisible, no Kaido sees Saiki as just a person like him who he can call a friend like something something in the manga when Kaido’s first introduced he gravitates to Saiki because he thinks Saiki’s just an ordinary loser like him and like Kaido wants Saiki to play pretend with him, Kaido wants Saiki to go to his secret bases after school like a little kid would want one of their bestfriends to play with them, like they are the only ones in on their little imagainitive world, escaping from normalcy, but in this case while its an escape from normalcy for Kaido, its a junp into normalcy for Saiki, like he’s in on it, like he’s a normal every day kid like Kaido idk like idk theres something so special to me about them that I can’t quite put into words I’m just out here yapping at this point, sorry if this makes no sense everynyan just urm
Saiki is what makes Kaido feel special and Kaido is what makes Saiki feel normal
This is genuine curiosity because I want to get into the ship, why do you ship Kingdon?
Ooooooo darling now that is a question for the ages lol.
First off i am a big believer in you don't choose the ship it chooses you. Otherwise I would have totally been on the canon ships for so many more fandoms. But I digress.
Kingdon is a very interesting one for me. As are any of my ships from The Pitt. Mainly because I really went in with the intention of not doing it. I wanted to watch the show from my perspective of being a healthcare worker (labs. We will never get our own show. Unless people want to watch people swear at machinery?). I was really curious about the set up and format.
But then the characters.
I cannot think of a character who is clearly neurodivergent presented in the manner that Mel King is. She's not the super genius who is terrible with being a functional human without emotions. She's a clearly very intelligent woman who sometimes flubs social cues (my sort of girl).
Mel is simply a person who happens to be Autistic Coded in a world that really isn't growing to accommodate her. But she handles it well.
So you would think that the ER Ken who is first presented as flippant, somewhat brash and cynical at the world would not mesh with her. He's quick loud and unafraid to express frustration but not necessarily in a... Professional manner shall we say.
It's interesting how quickly the writers and creators of the Pitt quickly show that and preconceptions of these characters are to be thrown out the window.
Frank for all his faults and the role he plays into to a certain extent (cocky hotshot Robbys no. 2); he pays attention to the world around him. You can see him do a double take at Mel as Robbys introducing her. Later he even remembers that she's transferred from the VA.
Speaking from the viewpoint of an autistic woman myself - this isn't common. Most people do not take the time to remember these details - never mind for a woman introduced to the group as a whole not just directly to him.
What really got me was - we get less than 15 minutes together of screen time with these two. But the dynamic clicks immediately. Mel feels comfortable expressing difficult emotions to him. That she struggles with expressing her emotions - that they are overwhelming. Langdon who you would assume is a shove everything down guy (and clearly has tried to Robbyify himself when it comes to certain aspects of himself...) Not only listens to her but validates her feelings. Not just once but several times. He takes the time to connect with her.
He is an excellent teacher - as long as the student isn't pissing him off mind you. Santos aside - he's not just teaching Mel. He takes time with Whitaker and Victoria. However he clicks with Mel in a way you can tell even surprises him.
Langdon has a wife and family at home that from this brief timespan he's not exactly on the same page with. Forgetting that Abby needs a break too, not seeing that a holiday would be a better present than... dinner. And the dog. Maybe they've had conversations about getting a dog. But saying the four year old is going to take care of it??? Ouch. Dude. Just dude.
Then you compare that to how he seems to get Mel, who she is and how she works. Quick to recognise she needs a break - ordering her out basically. That she needs reassurance - ambulance bay. That she's a little more sensitive than the people who have been in The Pitt for a while like him. But it's not just about reassurance. He make the effort to explain that people like her are not only capable of this sort of intense work - but are needed. Yes he's an asshole but he's also incredibly kind.
I am biased from my experiences - people generally do not act like this with neurodivergent people. It's not pity, it's not just "I have to get this person working" you can tell he enjoys working with her. Talking to her. The whole bit about Captain Scurvy? He's genuinely having fun talking to her, joking with her. Crucially not at her expense.
Then you watch Mel. Initially she flinches a little at his close proximity. Within hours, there's contact and he's up in her personal space with no reaction. She's comfortable with him. Again she's able to articulate how she feels with him. Initially she's a little hesitant or even nervous to share with him. But soon she's really talking about the difficulties she faces as someone who is neurodivergent.
For those of us who are ND. You do find those people. Those safe individuals who you just click with. Quicker than anyone you've ever had before are able to talk and unmask. Mel does. The fact that Santos - someone else actually recognises this growing bond. You can see how happy and slightly surprised she is. This isn't something she's used to.
Mel isn't spineless she does push back a little but she trusts him. Listens to him. Believes him as he tells her she is good at this, that her voice is important, that who she is will be an advantage in this space. It takes time but she trusts him.
Then when he's gone. Oh bless her heart. She was so eager to talk to him about the baby. The one person who stuck with her. Listened to her. No one else really did. Santos literally ran on her mid sentence. (I hate that so much).
"You're here!"
Oh I died. Dead. We know that Mel has had a rather lonely existence up until now. Both parents gone, a sister with high support needs, demanding education and training? I don't think Mel has had a lot of time for her own self. And there's an undeniable joy when he comes back.
Frank doesn't hesitate to go help. He's so aware of her. Again guiding her, encouraging. They work well as a pair.
I could go on and on.
There's a chemistry between the pair but not just that - but even in less that 12 hours they really make the other person better. Mel gains confidence and has a support. Frank softens and lets those hardened walls down.
Read at your own peril. I couldn’t help myself, so taking all precautions to shield people from my thoughts. Lmk if any tags are missing!
So Ras killed that random person by dragging them into the casket of bones. At least that’s what’s inferred by the trail of belongings leading to the casket itself. We know that the person must have been alive to be sacrificed. So it couldn’t be one of the skeletons in the underworld.
From the belongings it looks like an explorer to me? Perhaps some rando traveller? Orrrrr maybe it’s a character we’ve seen before? Considering if this is important to the plot somehow-which it might very well not be… we have to ask… who’s known for disappearing to travel? Clutch powers? Misako?!
Now just imagine if it is Misako… a terrible death really but the impact of this would be HUGE!
She is probably the most of note parent to one of the ninja apart from Garmadon, making many appearances throughout the long lived series. She is known for showing up at random times such as in season 8 (SOG) and her extensive travelling. It very well could be her that happened to be in the underworld exploring.
We know Misako can fight and use spinjitzu. Making sense that she would fight Ras if necessary. However she has been shown to be bested at times, such as in the oni trilogy, especially season 9. And her being taken for Harumi’s ritual in season 8, in which she showed up imprisoned by the Sons of Garmadon. Like in season 8 she was searching for something, that something being Wu, perhaps this is a similar situation in Dragons Rising…
We see from Arin and Sora’s reaction to the prospect of someone dying for the icon to be forged. Fear, but inevitably, understating that it wasn’t worth it. With Arin realising that no life is worth sacrificing for his parent’s revival despite his sadness of ‘never seeing them again.’ A great character moment for him.
If it is Misako, and Ras drops that bombshell at Lloyd, we could not only see him at yet another low point but maybe even in oni form again. It would be an easy way to reinforce the oni whilst making Ras even more villainous to the audience. Leading well into the next season which is speculated to be oni based?
It would also give Lloyd an opportunity to break free from the group, as the only ninja I believe to not have had a solo adventure since the Merge (if you don’t count his time isolated in the monastery). Maybe this would give him space, time to mourn, find himself ect. Would also be a great way to bring Garmadon back.
This act of killing Misako would seal Ras’ downward spiral into villainy. There would be very little possibility of redemption after this. Even if there is. Which I doubt. We call into question Lloyd’s morals. How much is he willing to forgive to be this caring and all loving figure of hope that is the green ninja. That he has always been since the very beginning of Ninjago. The one who followed his father into his madness without loosing hope. Could he forgive that? We know Lloyd doesn’t like Ras but this could seal the deal. Forgiveness is also a huge theme in Dragons Rising, Arin forgiving Sora, Lloyd and Arin forgiving each other, and maybe even the ninja forgiving Wu in the future…
Not to mention the idea that Arin got both his parents back only for Lloyd to loose one would be INSANE. The whole oni form idea comes in secondary to the angst this would cause. However oni form for Lloyd was only achieved through the supposed death of Garmadon, a moment of pure rage and sadness, so why not Misako as well? It would be dark and heartbreaking but also show the power and fear of the oni. Already established in season 3 part 1 with Frak and their group’s time in the Dragonian’s lands. It might even backfire on Lloyd having witnesses to his oni form for once. Maybe his students see his transformation?
Now there’s also things that prove this wrong. The items we see shown leading to the casket we never seen Misako with in canon. We also don’t know if their identity is important at all to the plot. But I just thought this would be a CRAZY and DRASTIC writing decision if it turned out to be correct. Anyway the rambling is insane sorry. Lmk if anyone has any other theories.
Edit: @mxystarry who commented about the hat being present in a crystallised comic ‘Bad Boys Night Out’
HEAR ME OUT PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE IM SERIOUS
Okay.i made that joke with my mutual about the 10 recolored Wilburs (thank you Ringo for the comment too) but thinking about it it’s.kinda true…? Maybe there are 10 Wilburs out there…?
I always see people point out the fact that there being copies of other NPCs on other islands is kinda creepy, and it’s true! There’s multiple sets of Timmy and Tommy, Orville and Wilbur, and even villagers! That’s just.how it is cause it’s a video game
But. This happens to Wilbur even without the online aspect of it. It’s kinda hard to avoid having doubles in a video game like that when playing online! But Wilbur’s case is.interesting…
When you go to mystery islands in the game and talk to the villagers there, each personality type has a unique dialogue about Wilbur! Mostly just about tools and such but.theyre very interesting when you think about it
I didn’t think much of these at first but then I was like. Wait a minute. How did they even talk to him..?
My first assumption was “oh, maybe it’s part of his job to pick up people from other islands and take them on those tours too?” Which.. doesn’t make a whole lot of sense? Mostly because of the amount of work that would give him! He already works on the island, why is he going to other islands to do the same job???? But I let it slide.its animal crossing I don’t care!
But then I was like okay.how did they ask for tools??
Wilbur obviously doesn’t just stay there with them, right?? Because he’s always ready and available for the player to go on a trip, and he brings them there. So maybe he leaves! He might leave the mystery island and leave them alone.. maybe the villagers have these lines for right before he leaves to go do more jobs!
Then I saw this one
“A minute ago.” A.minute ago…??? Okay. The villagers very clearly don’t go to him WHILE I’m on the island so it’s not an actual minute ago. Maybe it’s like when people say “a hot minute” to mean a long time, maybe they mean “a minute ago” to just mean recently
Which STILL doesn’t make sense because how the hell did that happen recently. Especially if this is your like, 10th ticket? Wilbur has been with you the entire time! When did this happen??
Unless! There was.another Wilbur….?
Another assumption I had before thinking about this was that maybe they’re talking about another pilot. But it’s.very clear that’s not true!
Thank you @87fm-ringo for this screenshot it made me spiral
“That Wilbur character, that dodo” is referring to him. Of course, him and Orville are NOT the only dodos that exist in the game’s universe, Orville mentions other dodos (which is another can of worms id like to go into)
So they DO mean this Wilbur! But.do they mean THIS Wilbur??? OUR Wilbur?
I think, with everything I have here, I can only come to one conclusion.our Wilbur exists multiple times in this game universe
Somehow!! He is always on the mystery islands and also at your island. It’s not teleportation because he is doing things off screen even when he IS on screen.. I’d assume that when he reaches the mystery island he just.replaces the Wilbur there….?
Wilbur has met many many people. Maybe even so many that.he doesn’t remember their faces and names! Or maybe.their names and faces are foggy because it wasn’t really HIM meeting them!
He just.has shared memory with the others so they all don’t remember them..
Anyways! TLDR Wilbur seems to constantly be in places he shouldn’t be in or places that doesn’t make sense time wise. Which makes me think maybe there are just multiples of him out there.
I know that there’s ALREADY multiples in the game considering that’s just how online play is but like I said this happens even without online play!
"my thoughts on if Sandalphon has bird instincts could warrant its own post" hi. i love and agree with this. you should elaborate!!!
omgggg thank you for asking Im so happy to have this excuse to talk about it
It is a kind of popular sentiment to compare Sandalphon, Lucifer, Sariel and Belial to different kinds of birds, and even in gbfvr Lucilius does say Belial is 'like an overgrown crow'
The way Sandalphon fights with his body low to the ground and all his wings flared reminds me of how owls try to make themselves look more intimidating. He's already pretty small and has brown wings so I think of him like a sparrow (sparrows are also pretty quick to squabble despite being so small too).
Triple zero also has always looked like birds fighting to me
I do find it fun to imagine what other sort of behaviours they may have intentionally (or unintentionally) inherited. I prefer to treat them like monster girls more than just angels, they are primal beasts after all. I'm not the most familiar with birds so if anyone with more of an interest in them wants to chime in go ahead.
Headcanons below which are pretty indulgent more than anything and also so the dash is not totally clogged
When Sandalphon is very close with someone, he'll try to 'preen' them, finding himself reaching to fix their hair or adjust their clothes, when it's an intimate partner bathing with them and brushing their hair too
Wing grooming is always gonna be something super intimate, especially since Sandalphon's wings sprout from his lower back, I've seen a few fics that frame this as an erogenous zone, which does align with the fact you're not supposed to pet birds on their back, under their tail feathers/wings.
Nesting either by him absentmindedly making sure that his partner is comfortable where they are or making himself somewhere to hole up during a molt. I think male sparrows are usually the ones building the nests so you just have to imagine Sandalphon dutifully stacking up a bed with things for his partner
Feathers....feathers all over the place shedding so many from all 6 wings, maybe you could stuff a pillow with them
sleeping with his face tucked into one of his wings, a little more difficult considering it's on his back but walk with me here
humming and then being really embarrassed if anyone points it out
His wings flaring up when he's threatened or scared automatically or possibly when smug and showing off puffing out his chest, don't think he'd ever be the type to fully do a big showy bird display but hints of it would be there
There's also a lot of potential for smut here, but I don't really post that sort of stuff here so I'll refrain from talking in detail about it
I have a concept in my head I have to draw at some point but Lucifer is so much like a cute pigeon or broody hen to me I think he builds just right shit nests like two-sticks-on-the-floor quality
he's like "my friend I hope this is to your liking" because he put like two pillows and a haphazardly strewn blanket over lucilius's bed and Lucilius just lets out the most tired sigh you can imagine
Sandalphon would be like "thank you lucifer-sama it's wonderful" even if it was a terrible nest, Lucifer has that gap moe to him...competent and talented but isn't super good with domestic tasks
Belial is more of a bat to me but that may just be because I am biased towards bats
