#(guanyin and erlang grounded them after that)

[selkies-and-cycles]

Celestial official: someone should put you two in a mental hospital!

young Nezha: someone should put you in a box floating down the river, GRANDMA!

young Rihe: yeah!!! >:P

[kaynanarie]

JourneyTober! Day 30 - Division (Unity)

(Warning: Spoilers for Black Myth: Wukong. This is Part 1 of 2.)

            It was finally over. After a long, grueling battle, one final blow brought the broken shell of the Great Sage to his knees.

            Monkey swayed where he stood, exhausted and injured but triumphant. The iron staff slipped from his weary hands; his weak legs buckled, staggering him to the ground. Before him, what remained of the Great Sage laughed, a bittersweet relief in the sound. His rocky shell slowly crumpled to dust and disappeared into the wind. Only the golden band upon his head was left behind, splashing into the shallow waters with an ominous glint.

            The Monkey Elder passed through the barrier and approached his victorious student. Jen and Bajie were unable to follow, still barred by the energy surrounding the battlefield. The Elder spoke, his words too quiet and distant for them to hear, as he retrieved the fallen circlet from the water and presented it to Monkey.

            Bajie’s annoyance at their exclusion suddenly shifted to panic. “No! Don’t you dare put that on him, you old bastard!”

            Jen looked between Bajie and the Elder in bewilderment. “Why? What is it?”

            “That’s the binding crown Guanyin forced Wukong to wear,” Bajie answered, furiously slashing at the barrier with his rake. “Our master used it to control and punish him. He hated it more than anything, going so far as to orchestrate his very death to escape it. And now, Nephew is about to fall to the same fate.”

            The words ‘control’ and ‘punish’ sent chills down Jen’s spine. The dread only grew as the Elder raised the circlet, Monkey still kneeling before him in a daze.

            “Stop! Leave him alone!” Her pleas joined Bajie’s, fists pounding uselessly against the invisible wall. The Elder either could not or chose not to hear them. Desperate, Jen turned her voice to Monkey, trying to break him from whatever spell kept him unaware of the trap. “Don’t let him put it on you! Get up! Please, Monkey!”

            A golden light suddenly flashed from him, brighter than the sun setting on the horizon. Jen and Bajie shielded their eyes, squinting to see their friend through the glow. The Monkey Elder seemed surprised at first but smiled, nodding his head in understanding. In his hands, the circlet broke, flakes of sparkling dust slipping through his fingers, never to be used again.

             The cheers of his friends caught Monkey’s attention, his gaze slowly turning towards them. Jen’s relief turned to heartbreak when his eyes met hers. They were gold, glowing, and unrecognizable.

…

            The world was distorted and hazy. Once the relics had been relinquished, they returned to Monkey in flashes of blinding light. They were stronger than before, overwhelming as the scattered pieces reunited themselves with the long-lost mind. He fell under their weight, the power swirling and settling throughout his being, his head ringing as the last relic struggled to find balance.

            Muffled voices echoed in his ears, distant and warped. The Elder’s story he had heard repeated since he was young. Uncle’s demands to get up, keep fighting, resist. Jen pleading with him to answer, the desperation in her tone urging him to act.

            Monkey tried to open his heavy eyes; he needed to see what to caused his friends such distress. The first thing he focused on was the shallow water of the endless sea, splashing and rippling around his knees. Before him was the Elder, watching him with a curious, withheld judgement. In his hands was the ornate swirls of a gilded headband.

            The gold circlet. The binding crown. His prison.

            And now he was free.

            The memories Erlang bestowed on Monkey sprang forth, completing the partial relic of his mind and plunging him into a life that was once his. The experiences of his previous incarnation played out behind his eyes in vivid detail.

            Earning Buddhahood after his journey west was complete. The countless demons and monsters that he defeated, battle after battle defending his master and brothers. The mountain he was imprisoned under for five hundred long years and his lost bet with Buddha that put him there. His defiance of the Celestial Court and their precious Peach Banquet he crashed in protest. The alliance of his fellow demon kings and sworn brothers, all lost to time. His kingdom on Fruit and Flower Mountain with all his loyal subjects. The jump through the Water Curtain Cave that named him the Monkey King. And his beginnings as a lonely stone monkey, born from a rock much like the one he had sealed his remains in, waiting for the day destiny would set free him.

            As the memories faded, so did the illusion around them. The cursed circlet crumpled to golden dust. The endless stretch of the ocean vanished, returning them to the peak of Mount Huaguo. Where the birthstone had once stood, only broken pebbles remained, the wish within it finally fulfilled.

            Monkey stood slowly, still sorting through the new power and thoughts in his head, the old and new mixing together like oil in water. As he found his center, the Elder honored him with a respectful bow.

            “Well done, young one. After all this time, we finally welcome back our Monkey King.”

            He frowned but didn’t argue, looking past the Elder where Bajie was lingering on the far side of the clearing. A slight panic seized Monkey’s heart when he noticed Uncle was alone.

            “Guess you win bragging rights, huh Brother?” Bajie chuckled, the mirthful noise doing little to hide his caution. “Being immortal was one thing, but coming back from the dead? I’ll never hear the end of it.”

            Glancing around, Monkey finally spoke. “Where’s Jen?”

            Bajie started at the question, eyes downcast as he sat himself on a rock. “She…needed some space. Let her be, for now.”

            “I need to speak with her, Uncle. Which way did she go?” Monkey asked, eyes flickering between the different paths.

            “Uncle? Wait, Nephew is that still you?” Bajie asked, breathing out a relieved laugh. “You scared us there for a minute. We thought–”

            Monkey’s concern made his patience thin. “Uncle, please.”

            Sighing, Bajie gestured with his rake towards one of the paths. “She went that way. It’s only been a few minutes but you should still hurry.”

            “Thank you.”

            With a last nod, Monkey took off down the trail, praying he wasn’t too late.

(Part 2)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------(Sorry the last two are so late! The past week has been nonstop busy and I finally found time to get these two finished. This is a two parter that I switched the prompts on. Enjoy the last of Journeytober! Thanks for reading!)

[quitealotofsodapop]

LMK assorted Headcanons/Theories:

The terms "Yaoguai/Demon" and "Xian/Celestial" are loose terms used to denote supernatural beings that live in the Three Realms. The terms can be specific to where the being lives/is decended from or who they associate with.

The supernatural population of Megapolis refer to themselves as "Yāo/Yao/Yaoguai" or straight up "Demons". It's considered a badge of pride since "Demons" (a deliberately loose term) have not been allowed into the Celestial Realm/Jade Palace since the war. They are the most varied of the groups, and frequently intermarry with humans and former celestials.

Those who live in, or are decended from those in the Celestial Realm are considered "Celestial/Xian". Celestials will rarely marry outside of their own kind - save for a few famous exceptitions. However they are considered no better than "pariah dogs/mutts".

The Meishan/Plum Hill Boys were formed from a group of half-celestials who felt like they didn't have adequete rights in Heaven, so they formed their own palace and training grounds so they could defeat their full-celestial critics in battle. The Plum Hill Boys are happy Erlang in the LMK verse is a Heavenly General, but they really want him to address the social issues Heaven has been ignoring for millenia to the Jade Court.

Celestials try their best to appear Only Human/Ethereal - as having animalistic/plant traits is considered uncouth. Very discrimatory towards percieved "lesser" species. Think the Gems from Steven Universe.

Dragons inhabit a category of their own, being neither Yao/Xian. They're just Dragons.

Humans are seen as So Weird to the supernatural races cus they can both ignore or transcend categories without issue. Even former mortals that achieved immortality like Lao Zhu are considered really weird. To the long-lived species, it's like seeing a mouse suddenly just… not die and start doing magic.

Celestials and Demons are bad at understanding how reincarnation works. It's like an entirely alien concept to them. Why wouldn't this person remember who they used to be? In Jttw we see this with Kui Mulang not understanding that Princess Baihuaxiu didn't remember/recognise him depite them being lovers in their past Celestial lives. Mulang likely kept his memories by refusing the Meng Po soup, while his gf Yunu drank it and lost all hers.

Literally everyone legit thought that the reincarnation lineage of the Golden Cicada ended with Tripitaka/Tang Sanzang. Even Guanyin was convinced until she tried to mediate to/call up GC in the Pure Lands and got LMK Tang's confused "Um, new phone [body] who dis?".

"Tang" is called that cus he's legit decended from the Tang royal family. He's got that royal clout in Megapolis that very few know about - hence why he was a judge in "Food Wars". Doesn't seem to work much cus he's got that trust fund payout. However, he's not on good terms with his bio family for Whatever Reasons, and barely even Pigsy knows about his origins.

The Monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain are intelligent yaoguai/demons like Wukong and Macaque. However, after the Burning of the Mountain; many were forced to relocate and hide less they be hunted down by the armies of the Celestial realm/humans who liked monkey meat. It's why all the remaining monkeys on Flower Fruit Mountain seem to be regular earth monkeys. The "big ones" that fought for the Monkey King and protected their home from war are no longer there. When the Monkey King returned to Flower Fruit Mountain, it was like returning to a town that had been left empty by war. Where are the suriving Monkey Yao nowadays? Living in the village outside of Megapolis, the one with the Shame Temple (S1 Ep 07). Why else would SWK have such an important temple there? Plus all the monkey imagery.

Most demons dont actually eat humans anymore. Most who legit miss the taste/need the protein just buy Imitation Human™ (comes in vegan and low-salt options) instead cus its cheaper and less immoral. There's still however, a black market for geniune human meat in some cities... •+The Monkie Kid gang once accidentally tucked into "Imitation Human Meat Buns" while at a festival, and it left everyone feeling gross afterwards. Most grossed-out was Pigsy cus it was the version made with pork. Tang had seconds "just to be sure".

Sun Wukong's favorite book/film of all time is "The Last Unicorn" by Peter S. Beagle. Themes of immortal perfection and blissful ignorance vs mortal love and emotion, beauty & pain, finding yourself becoming "other" from who you once considered your kinfolk due to your experiences... he also likes "Big Fish" by Tim Burton. •+: Red Son has a "kaiju form" resembling a slightly-more humanoid/minotaur-like version of the Red Bull from the same story.

Pigsy watches "Chef" (2014) at least once a year like its gospel. And it's why he got the food truck. Tang similarily loves films about enjoying the pleasures of food ala Chocolat (2000). These films are their go-to "date night" movies at home. When MK was little, he also watched Princess and the Frog (2009) and Ratatouille (2007) a lot cus those were "Dadsy's and Tang's favorites".

[quitealotofsodapop]

You was minding the island/monkeys in "SWK is MK's stone egg dad au"?

Ask 1: Wukong would only trust someone he knew would be able to protect the island if he wasn't available. Originally his idea was for that to be Macaque but well... that didn't turn out so good.

Guanyin would try to kill him herself if she knew Wukong was trying to create a Stone Egg on purpose.

Princess Iron Fan is similarly discounted, cus for all her joy surrounding having a child, she knows it's stupid to try and make one when the eventual result is death of the parent. She'd tattle on SWK to Guanyin.

Erlang would remember to unbury Wukong, but him and the Plum Hill boys dont gots a good reputation with the island's monkeys or monkey demons in general. Also the dog might try and dig up Wukong before he can even start the Egg-making process.

That leaves the people he 1: Is good friends with and/or 2: Owes him a favor.

DBK and Nezha ultimately are the two entrusted with the knowledge of what Wukong's doing.

DBK worries because of the risks involved, but understands why Wukong is so adamant on becoming a parent. DBK was willing to bow to the bodhisattva if it meant his little firefly could be born safely.

Nezha is told a little different version of the story since Wukong still sees him as a kid who will panic. Wukong just tells him that he's "Trying out a new mediatation technique", and to check in on him in a few centuries. Nezha is suspicious, but assumes Wukong is planning to isolate himself for the sake of the Rings of Samadhi. Can't tell anyone where his Ring is if he's entombed after all. Nezha makes sure to check in on the island every other year or so just out of duty, but also because he's a little attached to the island's monkeys.

The Pilgrims aren't told of what SWK's gonna do in case they try to stop him. But Wukong grants them and their reincarnations/decendants special access to the island in case his original plan fails. He knows if something on the outside went *really wrong*, they'd be able to eventually find him.

Which leads to...

I was thinking perhaps DBK was a good candiate to protect the island + wake Wukong.

Until something happened in their lives (a shared tragedy), that caused DBK to go nuts trying to stop Wukong from doing something that could have taken his little sworn brother away from him forever.

The death of a fellow sworn brother/Wukong's own best friend and mate; Macaque.

Wukong and DBK had agreed to only reveal the news to Macaque when Wukong's body had already started the process. Far along enough that even if Macaque dragged SWK up out of the ground in anger; a Stone Egg would still continue developing with the parent "awake".

Macaque died not knowing what Wukong had planned.

And DBK lost it.

He couldn't bare to lose his last Sworn Brother on top of losing his brother-in-law. It made no sense for Wukong to create the Stone Egg if his own family would never be able to greet it!

Wukong is forced to seal DBK away once the Bull began deliberately causing Havoc to draw him out of his cave. Enough trouble that there was talk in Heaven of feeding the Bull to the Furnace.

Wukong hates to admit it. He too didn't want to lose his brother.

So he's forced to seal DBK in stasis in the Underworld for the amount of time SWK planned to stay buried.

500 years would be enough for Wukong's body to produce a full-term egg without needing to leech life energy/dao from another source. So hopefully by the time he's ready to birth, Nezha will atleast be able to wake him up. And once his Egg and baby arrives, he will be able to release his sworn brother without the risk of getting stomped on in anger. His child would be old enough to protect themselves, and his in-laws no longer mad at him. Win win!

Unless something say... a curious, clumsy reincarnation of his former master stumbled upon his burial spot inside Water-Curtain Cave and dug him up thinking he was a pot and woke him up prematurely, forcing Wukong to carry the Egg to term for about a year while he spirtually drained others. But that defintely wont happen!

Right?