#I fear if i keep saying this with animation then it will be a monkey paw curls situation and we get something really ummm Bad

[lesbianraskolnikov]

Ok last thing but I do not fully agree that.. okay well no adaption could be PERFECT but I do think crime and punishment still can be adapted very well. Listen to me. German Expressionism or Animation. Its the only way. WE CAN TRY THE GERMAN EXPRESSIONIST APPROACH AGAIN I THINK ITS ABSOLUTELY PERFECT I THOUGHT OF ALL THE LOCATIONS LIKE IT COULD BE FROM ONE OF THOSE FILMS!!! But I also think it works best in the form of a mini-series vs a movie.

[scribblesofagoonerr]

𝑀𝑜𝓃𝓀𝑒𝓎 Our Girl: Growing Up | 𝒜𝓃𝒹 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐿𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝐼𝓈 𝒟𝒶𝓇𝓀

summary: monkey's dad has the social worker convinced everything is fine when the reality couldn't be further from the truth.

our girl: growing up masterlist

The entire ride to your dad’s house felt like a waking nightmare. The fear gripped your chest so tightly it was hard to breathe, and the closer you got, the more your stomach twisted into painful knots.

Every mile felt like you were being dragged further into something dark and suffocating, an inevitable doom you couldn’t escape.

Your social worker chatted idly in the front seat, her cheerful tone grating against the terror building inside you. You barely heard her words. All you could focus on was the rising dread of stepping into that house - a house that wasn’t home, and never would be.

“Alright, looks like we’re here,” Your social worker announced the words you had been dreading since you climbed in the car, “Ready to say hi to your dad?” She chirped, turning to you with a forced smile.

You shrank into your seat, desperately wishing you could disappear. The pit in your stomach grew heavier with every second, your hands clutching at the fabric of your jeans as if grounding yourself would keep you safe.

The memories came flooding back, vivid and sharp – The stench of alcohol on his breath, the cloud of cigarette smoke that clung to everything, the bruises he’d left on your arms when his temper flared. You remembered it all, every terrifying moment that made you flinch at loud voices and slammed doors.

And yet, somehow, he’d convinced everyone that he’d changed. That he was better.

You weren’t fooled – not entirely – but what could you do? You were just nine years old. To the adults around you, your voice didn’t carry the weight it should have. They saw your fear as uncertainty, your hesitation as resistance to change. 

No one wanted to listen to a kid. Nobody wanted to listen to you. 

Your heart pounded harder as the car came to a stop in front of the house. You stared at it, willing it to disappear, but it stood there, looming, mocking your fear.

Every part of you screamed not to get out, to stay hidden, to make the nightmare stop. But you knew you couldn’t.

Your social worker turned to you, her smile still there, but it wasn’t comforting. It felt forced, like she was trying to convince both you and herself that this was fine.

“Come on now,” She said gently, her voice warm but insistent, “It’s okay, It’s going to be fine. I’ll be right there with you,” She waited for you to move, but you just sat there, frozen, staring ahead.

Your body was tense, every muscle locked up in protest, “I… I don’t want to,” You whispered, so quietly you almost couldn’t hear yourself. Your throat felt tight, your words barely able to escape.

Your social worker’s expression softened, and she sighed, her patience unwavering, “I know, I know you might feel scared, sweetheart, but everything is going to be fine.” She told you in a gentle tone of voice, more patient than she was earlier when pushing you to say goodbye to Leah, just like she was coaxing a frightened animal out of hiding, “It’s going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

Your hands were clammy, your palms sweating against the cold seatbelt. The world outside the car felt distant, unreal like you couldn’t quite make it through the fog of your own terror.

With a shaky breath, you slowly unbuckled your seatbelt, feeling your stomach twist in tighter knots. You hesitated before pushing the door open, the chill of the outside air only adding to the dread. 

Your social worker’s reassuring hand rested on your shoulder as she stood beside you, “You’re doing great,” She said, guiding you to the front door.

Each step felt heavier than the last, as if the earth itself was trying to drag you back. You could feel your heart pounding in your ears as you approached the door, the sound of the knock feeling deafening.

It was as if every second stretched out into eternity.

The door opened with a creak, and there he was. Your dad.

He looked different, but not by much. His scruff had greyed, and his eyes carried the weight of exhaustion, but the unsettling smile that tugged at his lips was the same – a smile that tried too hard to be convincing, like he was fooling everyone, even himself, into believing everything was fine. It made your skin crawl.

“Well, well, if it isn’t my kiddo,” Your dad, Mark, greeted you, his smile cold and forced as you stood frozen, clutching your bag, “You’ve certainly grown since I last saw you, haven’t you?”

His voice was too bright, too fake. It was like he was desperately trying to make everything feel normal, like this moment wasn’t suffocating you. But you saw through it. You always had.

“What, no hug for your old man?” Your dad joked, crouching down to your level and spreading his arms wide, expecting you to step into them.

“Hello again, Mark,” Your social worker stepped forward, her tone professional, yet polite, “I’m here to ensure everything goes smoothly with this transition,” She said, her eyes scanning your dad for any sign of something she might need to address, “How have things been, uh, since we last spoke?”

Your dad chuckled, the sound grating on your nerves, “Things have been good, real good,” He said, his hand resting on the doorframe as if were trying to look casual. But you could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes flickered nervously toward you.

“You’ve made progress, right?” Your social worker’s voice held a touch of caution, and you could feel her eyes watching him, weighing his every word.

Your dad nodded quickly, too quickly, “Of course. Everything’s under control. She’ll be safe here. I’ve changed,” The way he said it, the words falling from his lips like they were rehearsed, made your stomach churn.

You didn’t believe him, not for a second.

But your social worker seemed to buy it. She smiled, though it didn’t reach her eyes, and gave a nod, “Good, we’ll be checking in regularly to make sure everything stays on track for you both.”

You stood there, your body trembling, wishing you could disappear, wishing you could escape, but all you could do was stare at the door and wonder how long it would take for the fear to come rushing back, like it always did.

“I see you are still into football, huh? I bet you’re the player of the match every game,” Mark tried to make conversation, his attempt at interest ringing hollow.

You turned toward the social worker, fear flickering in your eyes, “I… I don’t want to be here. I want to go back to Leah’s. Why can’t I stay with her?”

“This is your new home now, kiddo,” Mark cut in quickly, crouching to your level. His voice was gruff, trying to sound kind, “We’re gonna make it nice. Just you and me, yeah?”

“I… I don’t want to be here,” Your voice wavered as you shook your head, “Why can’t I go back?”

“It’s lovely here, Monkey–” The social worker began with a cheerful tone of voice.

“Don’t call me that!” You snapped your head toward her, her voice trembling with anger, “Only Le and Jordy get to call me that!”

The social worker’s smile faltered, her face flushing slightly, “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Mark sighed heavily, placing a hand on your shoulder, “Come on now, there’s no need for that,” He said, his grip firm, “Hey, how about this? I’ll put up some goalposts in the garden. We can kick the ball around. Sound good?”

“No, thanks,” You muttered, pulling away from his hand.

“That’s alright. There’s plenty of time for us to figure things out, right?” Mark said with forced cheer, glancing at the social worker.

“Right,” Your social worker agreed, smiling faintly, “Well, I’ll leave you to get settled in. I’ll come by in a couple of days to check in and make sure everything is okay.”

“I… I don’t want to be here,” Your chest tightened as panic set in, “Please… Please don’t leave me here,” You begged, your voice cracking.

Your social worker knelt down beside you, “This is your new home now, sweetheart. You’ll be happy here with your dad.”

“Yeah,” Mark chimed in, straightening up, “It’s just me and you now, kiddo. We’ll be alright, won’t we?”

Tears prickled your eyes as you shook your head, “No, I… I don’t want to be here. I want Le,” You whispered, clutching your bag tighter as the reality of your new life began to sink in.

But you didn’t want to be here. You wanted to be with Leah and Jordan, where you felt safe, where things still made sense.

“Take a seat kid. The match is kicking off soon,” Your dad’s gruff voice cut through the silence, “I’ve got a good feeling about this game, you know? Those so-called Gunners are about to get a reality check.”

Your stomach dropped. Football games meant pain. The outcome of each match determined the mood of the night, and you knew your dad’s moods could turn in a dime. The thought of sitting through another night like this terrified you.

You didn’t want the social worker to leave, but soon enough, it was just the two of you in a house that felt cold and empty. Your dad didn’t waste time in turning his attention back to the TV, flipping through channels until he landed on the match he’d been waiting for.

You lingered in the doorway, the silence of the house pressing down on you, suffocating you. The hum of the television filled the space, but the victorious cheers from the screen only made you feel more alone.

The game between Arsenal and Chelsea – Your dad’s team – and it didn’t take long for it to become painfully clear that Chelsea was dominating. Arsenal was losing badly. Your dad, a lifelong Chelsea fan, was practically glowing with joy as the goals piled up.

When Chelsea scored yet another goal, making it 6 - 0, your dad threw his hands up in the air, grinning from ear to ear and shouting in triumph, his mood shifting into something unusually bright and triumphant as if it were the only thing that mattered in the world.

“That’s how it’s done, eh?” Your dad grinned, not even looking over at you, “6 nil, that’s how you crush them. Gotta love it.”

You flinched at the sound of his voice, the sudden loudness making your heart race. He was too happy, too loud. It felt like the rest of the world had fallen away as he celebrated his team’s victory, oblivious to the fact that you were standing right there, desperately wishing to disappear.

Your dad glanced over at you, a wide smile on his face, “You used to watch the game with me, remember? Not gonna get upset about this, are you? It’s a big win for Chelsea.”

His words hit you like a weight, heavy and suffocating. You didn’t know how to respond. His cheerfulness felt fake, like he was trying to force normalcy in a moment that was anything but. 

You wanted to ask if you could leave, go back to Leah’s, to somewhere that didn’t feel so wrong or so… heavy.

But you stayed silent.

Your stomach twisted as you watched him bask in his victory, the scoreline a stark reminder of how powerless you felt in that moment, how trapped you were.

“Come on kiddo, sit down. I’m not gonna bite,” He said, motioning to the sofa, but you stayed frozen in pace, “Come on. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.” His voice was warm, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

You stood there for a moment longer, the sound of the game in the background like a cruel mockery of everything you wanted. You didn’t want to be here, not with him, not with the victory that felt more like defeat to you.

But what could you do? What could you say?

With a deep, shaky breath, you turned away from the doorway and shuffled toward the sofa, but everything about it felt wrong. Just like the house, just like the victory.

You didn’t belong here, and no matter how hard he tried to make you feel like you did, you knew the truth.

As the night fell, the house seemed even colder. The shadows in the corners of the room stretched long and lonely, creeping along the walls. You sat there, staring at the walls, at the empty space around you, feeling every inch of the house pressing in, suffocating you.

The silence was deafening, broken only by the occasional muffled sound from the TV in the living room, where your dad continued to watch the game highlights.

This wasn’t your room, this wasn’t your home. You didn’t want to be here, it felt wrong, like you were living in someone else’s nightmare, trapped in a place that wasn’t yours.

The walls, the furniture, the way everything felt too still – This wasn’t your home. Home was with Leah and Jordan, where you felt safe, where the air didn’t feel thick with the weight of expectations and disappointment.

You pulled the blanket tighter around you, but it didn’t help. Nothing helped. The cold seemed to seep into your bones, making everything feel even emptier. You needed something – someone – but no one was there.

And then, it hit you.

You didn’t have your stuffed monkey.

The realisation made your chest tighten. You hadn’t even thought about it until now, but the weight of not having him there with you was like a knife in your heart. Your stuffed monkey was your comfort, your safety, the thing that always made things feel just a little bit better, no matter how bad things got.

But he wasn’t here, and it felt like you were missing a piece of yourself.

The tears came before you could stop them. They started slow, and then built, faster and faster, until your face was wet with them. Your body trembled with silent sobs. 

You didn’t want to cry. You didn’t want to be weak, after all, you had promised Leah that you could be brave, but in this cold, empty house, with nothing but the distant sounds of a victory that didn’t matter to you, you felt more alone than you ever had before.

You curled up tighter under the blanket, hoping somehow the warmth of it would stop the tears. You pulled your knees up to your chest, wrapping your arms around them, but it didn’t stop the pain.

The ache in your chest. The fear.

And as the tears kept falling, you realised there was no escaping this – no running back to Leah and Jordan.

You were alone.

The next morning, it was like your dad was trying to show you he could be different, to convince both himself and you that things were fine. He seemed determined to act like everything was normal, maybe even better than normal.

“Hey, kiddo,” He said as you walked into the kitchen, “I was thinking, you’ve got that football thing coming up, don’t you? A match or something?”

You blinked, surprised, “Uh… Yeah, next weekend.”

Your dad nodded, his smile awkward but genuine enough to catch you off guard, “I’ll come. Watch you play. Haven’t done that in a while, right? I reckon it’d be nice for both of us.”

You didn’t know how to feel. On one hand, you wanted to believe him. But on the other, you knew how easily promises could feel apart. Still, the thought of him showing up gave you a glimmer of hope, “Okay,” You said softly.

“That’s the spirit,” He grinned, ruffling your hair, “Hey, I meant what I said to the social worker. You’ll still see Leah and… Jordan, is it, yeah? I’m not trying to keep them away from you.”

That part, at least, made you feel a bit better, “You promise?”

“Promise,” Your dad said, holding up his hand like he was swearing an oath, “I’ll even drive you over there myself if I have to.”

The day passed in a strange sort of normalcy, with your dad asking about football and school. It felt forced, but you didn’t want to question it. You clung to the hope that maybe, just maybe, things could get better.

By the evening rolled around, you were jittery with anticipation. Leah had promised to call, and the thought of hearing her voice was the only thing keeping you from completely shutting down. The house still felt cold and unfamiliar, but knowing Leah could be on the other end of the line made it bearable.

When the phone rang mid-afternoon, you darted to the living room, “Is that her?” You asked, her voice trembling with excitement.

Your dad raised an eyebrow at your eagerness, but he handed over the phone without comment, “Yeah, it’s her,” He said, stepping back.

“Le?” You said, clutching the phone tightly. As soon as you heard her familiar voice, the knot in your chest loosened, “Le!”

“There’s my girl,” Leah’s voice warm and bright, like a hug over the phone, “It’s so good to hear your voice! How’re you doing? Are you settling in okay?”

You sat down on the sofa, a small smile creeping onto your face, “It’s… Okay,” You said, hesitating, “I miss you, and I miss Jordy!”

“I miss you too, Monkey. We both miss you so much,” Leah replied softly, sounding like she was trying to hold her tears back but you could hear the quiver in her voice, “I’ll see you soon, yeah? And you can call me anytime. I’m always going to be here for you. We both are.”

The conversation went on for a while, with Leah asking about your day and telling you about hers. It was the most you’d smiled since you moved in, and for a moment, you forgot about how empty the house felt.

When the call ended, you handed the phone back to your dad, your heart feeling lighter than it had been earlier that day, “Thank you for letting me talk to her,” You said.

Your dad gave you a tight smile, “Yeah, no problem, kiddo. Glad you’re happy,” But there was something in his tone, a tension you couldn’t quite place.

Over the next couple of days, your dad seemed to watch you more closely, especially whenever you brought Leah or Jordan up in conversation. You didn’t think much of it, too focused on the small bursts of joy her calls brought.

A few evenings later, Leah called again. You were in the kitchen when the phone rang, and you hurried into the living room, eager to answer. But your dad beat you to it, lifting the phone before you could reach it.

“Hello?” Your dad answered, his tone casual. 

You hovered nearby, waiting for him to pass it to you.

“Oh, yeah… No, she’s already in bed,” He said after a pause. His words stopped you in your tracks. You weren’t in bed. It wasn’t even your bedtime yet.

A chill ran down your spine. Why didn’t he let you speak to her?

Leah’s voice was faint, but you could hear the confusion in her tone, “Already? Isn’t it a bit early for her?”

“Yeah, well, it’s been a long day,” Your dad said smoothly, his tone light but firm, “I’ll let her know you called.”

Your stomach sank, a deep unsettling feeling settling in your chest, “Dad,” You whispered his name, your voice trembling, “Dad… Is that Leah?”

Before Leah could say anything more, your dad quickly hung up the phone. He turned to face you, still smiling, but there was something behind his eyes that your skin crawl, “Nah, just someone from work,” He said, brushing it off, “It’s getting late, go get ready for the bed.”

You stood there for a moment, staring at the phone, confused and hurt, “But… I thought she was gonna call.”

“She probably forgot, kiddo,” Your dad said, waving a hand dismissively, “Now, go on. Don’t make a fuss.”

You stared at him, unsure of what to believe. Your heart felt heavy, and the unease gnawed at you, “Are you sure it wasn’t her?”

Your dad sharpened his gaze, and his voice became more firm, more final, “I said it wasn’t her. Now drop it.”

The finality in his tone made you flinch and without a word, you turned and walked back to your room, the unanswered question hanging in the air. The disappointment pressed down on you like a weight, and you felt a familiar coldness creep back into your chest.

Your social worker’s next visit came in the middle of the following week, a day like any other but still somehow heavy with anticipation. You tried to keep yourself small and hidden, out of the way, as your dad greeted the woman at the door, offering a forced smile that made your stomach churn.

The entire time, it felt like a blur, a series of questions and answers that passed by too quickly for you to catch your breath. You didn’t like the way your dad pretended to be someone he wasn’t, and it didn’t feel right.

There was something off about it, like he was trying too hard.

“Hey, kiddo,” Your dad called from the living room, where he was sitting with the social worker, “Come on in and say hi. They want to know how things are going, right?”

You shuffled into the room, eyes downcast as you felt the uncomfortable weight of the situation. Your social worker smiled warmly at you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet her gaze. 

You didn’t feel you belonged here. Not in this house. Not with him.

“So, how have things been going?” She asked, looking between you and him.

“Oh yeah, they’ve been great!” Your dad’s voice was too loud, too eager. He sounded like he was trying to convince both himself and everyone else that everything was fine, “We’re having a fantastic time together, right, kiddo?”

You blinked, feeling the weight of his gaze on you, and you knew what he expected from you. You had no choice but to force a weak smile and nod, the words too thick in your throat to speak, “Yeah…”

 “That’s wonderful to hear!” Your social worker smiled, unaware of the tension in the room, “Mark, you seemed to have really changed.”

You could hear the pride in your voice, and it made your stomach twist. 

Your dad’s smile widened, but it didn’t reach his eyes. He was too eager to play the part, to act like the father he thought he should be, “Having my Monkey here makes me become the better man. A better father to her.”

The words struck you like a slap to the face. You couldn’t hide the discomfort that spread through you.

Monkey.

The nickname Leah and Jordan had given you, the one that meant something real, something safe. And now, he was using it, twisting it into something it was never meant to be.

You wanted to argue, to say something, but you couldn’t. You knew better than to challenge him, especially not in front of the social worker. You stayed quiet, your hands shaking in your lap.

“I’m really pleased to hear that, Mark,” Your social worker said, her voice warm, “And sweetheart? Are you happy here?”

The question should’ve felt like a lifeline, a chance to finally speak up, but it felt like a trap. The house was cold, everything about it felt wrong, but you couldn’t bring yourself to say it.

Instead, you forced out the words, the ones you knew your dad wanted to hear.

“Yeah,” It came out hollow, but you couldn’t help it. You were too scared to say anything else. The fear of what would happen if you told the truth was too strong.

The social worker didn’t seem to notice. She smiled and jotted something down in her notes, “Well, it seems like things are improving. I’m happy to hear that. It’s really good to see you two getting along so well.”

As she stood up to leave, you felt a knot of frustration in your stomach. You had to sit there, nod and smile, even though everything inside of you screamed that this wasn’t right.

Why didn’t you just speak up when you had the chance?

Your dad’s act had worked. Your social worker was completely fooled. You were stuck, unable to say anything that would make it stop.

When the door closed behind your social worker, the silence was deafening. Your dad stood up, his posture stiff, as if he was proud of what he had just pulled off. You could feel his eyes on you, watching for any sign of resistance. You kept your head down, not wanting to look at him, not wanting to give him any reason to lash out.

That same evening when he called you into the living room to talk, you couldn’t escape the tightness in your chest. You had to keep playing along, or it would all fall apart. 

Your dad didn’t seem to notice your hesitation as he sat down, a forced smile still on his face, “See, kiddo? Everything’s fine now. The social worker thinks we’re doing great.”

You nodded, the fake smile still in place, but inside, everything felt wrong. The house felt colder now, the emptiness more suffocating.

And then you said it. The wrong words at the wrong time.

“I miss Leah. I… I wish I could go back,” It was a slip of the tongue, but it was enough for your dad’s anger to return.

His face shifted instantly, his eyes narrowing and the smile slipping off his face, “You want to go back to them, do you?” His voice was scarily low and dangerous, laced with venom, “You want your precious Leah and Jordan? Too bad. You’re stuck with me.”

Before you could even try to explain, he stormed off, his footsteps heavy and fast. You heard the sound of the kitchen cabinet slamming, then the unmistakable clink of glass. Your stomach dropped when he returned with a bottle in hand – whiskey.

You could feel the terror building up inside you. Whiskey meant he was no longer the man he pretended to be. It meant anger. It meant violence. It meant fear.

Your dad wasn’t a nice man when he drank at all, and the bruises were enough to show for that in the past.

“You see this bottle?” He hissed, holding it up like a weapon, “You’re the reason I drink, you little brat. Always whining. Always complaining. Now you’re asking for Leah and Jordan all the time. I can’t take it anymore.”

Your body went cold. The words stung, but you couldn’t fight back. You just sat there, frozen in place, watching as he raged on. The fear kept you silent, kept you from speaking, from fighting.

“You want them? Too bad. You don’t get to have everything your way,” Your dad’s cold voice sneered, and there it was.

That haunting familiar tone of voice that sends a chill down your spine, and left you cowering in the corner of the room.

The anger in his voice was suffocating. You stared at the floor, blinking back tears, but they came anyway. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. You had tried so hard to keep the peace, to make everything okay, and now it was all falling apart.

When he finally left the room, slamming the door behind him, the silence that followed felt more suffocating. Broken and alone. The house felt even colder now, the emptiness more pronounced. You wanted to scream, to run to Leah, to have her hold you and tell you everything would be okay.

But you couldn’t.

Your dad was right, and you were stuck here, stuck with him, and pretending that everything was okay when it clearly wasn’t.

© scribblesofagoonerr

[miifu666]

What do you think suklha and Wukong kid would look like if they did have one ? 🤔 …..Celestial realm one fear after hearing those two are courting each other 👀

Theres 2 reasons, i believe they would have a child.

1. Yandere! Wukong AU.

2. It was an accident. A GENUINE accident

_____

CW : mentions of abortion, body dysphoria, weird descriptions of pregnancy, Im trying to write it as how Suklha would view it as so it might be uncomfortable, Pregnant Monkey Suklha Doodles?

Lets say its the Latter, should Suklha accidentally drank the water of fertility and somehow had sex with Wukong. She will try to abort the child, out of respect for their life, not out of disgust. Its a child thats created by a creature from within and outside of this universe, to bear one means to conceive a natural disaster. A sort of Red boy and his samadhi fire. But this time, it can sever through time and erase everything from History, a true personification of the end of death and end of life.

Even as Wukong tried to fight the logical side of Suklha, she would insist on not keeping the child. Preferring to care for the mountain cubs than creating such a trigger. "out of the safety for this wretched world" she would claim, but also a part of her is afraid of what outcome, what probability should come once she does give birth.

It is definitely something the Celestials wouldn't want happening. They'll stop at nothing to try and destroy a pregnant Suklha, in which case is also in monkey form. To ensure the child won't be an amalgamation of anthropod and mammal, a combination of two completely different animal kingdoms that shouldn't exist.

Throughout the pregnancy, Suklha would try to lay low with the cubs following her around, and a couple of Wukong's clones being at her beck and call. One would walk beside her, and the other stayed hidden, out of plain sight. Should Wukong have other businesses to attend to. Suklha would eat more than possible, focusing her mind and ability to stop her own body from absorbing the fetus inside and claiming its DNA, Shes not a normal being. Her flesh eats whatever it's hosts give, including the fetus. If she slows down, theres a high chance her body would start consuming it and implement their DNA to make Suklha stronger.

She starts Wearing long and loose garments to walk around the estate, Suklha tries to hide the wretching feeling of carrying something inside of her. She's already dealt with her identity crisis, and now the thought of something living and itching inside is giving her nausea at every second. The pregnancy won't last much, as the combination of her pure Centipede features and current Monkey form will take around 4-6 months.

Should the child come, it would be the day all hell broke loose. With the underworld using its knowledge on destroying Suklha's vessel, to the Celestials who would try and take the child away, only to keep it in a capsule buried deep within the earth's core. As they have planned, use anything in their arsenal to destroy whatever hope the Monkey king and the messenger have. In this time, Suklha checked the probability and successfully ran to one of the dragons that she kept in touch with. A plan that the celestials wouldn't figure out, to be an opposite of how you usually am. A dragon of the South, A Lady of the red who runs a small village as their protector.

Suklha would soon give birth in the village, particularly in one of the Lady Dragon's estate. While Wukong would try to fight off the several armies, theres a few fake clones of Suklha around Flower Fruit mountain hiding to act as a decoy. The laboring process is enough to shake the heavens. there's a slight tear in the fabric of the universe at each scream, small cracks forming around Suklha as she continues to push out the child inside of her.

Even as the days go by, with the child growing as a cub. Suklha will continue to rest, its important in chinese tradition for the newly mothers to be confined within their bed for 30 days. Such will Suklha forego, resting to heal her own vessel and the corruption of energy she split in order to create the child. While Wukong and the red lady went and care for the cub.

I haven't thought much about the child, i think she'll be someone who is spiteful and energetic (as she should, her parents basically are. It should be a genetic trait atp) but still friendly and cheerful, a glance of her attitude, and you'd never expect she'll scream and curse like a sailor with a cheeky face.

Connsidering both of her own parents are revered gods and beings, she would be bold enough to not get intimidated by mere threats. Prone to lashing out violently, should things "isn't logical at all!!"Despite her bold and strong-willed attitude, she's smart enough to understand the things her mom would give. A small advice and she'll see it how her mom would do it.

A contradiction is what she is. Appear cold and withdrawn when you see her around, yet quickly changes once she warms up to you. Showing a more childlike and jovial side. Someone who shines like the sun under daylight, a being unlike any other beneath the moonlight.

A child who has both the ability of Sun Wukong and Suklha, a mix of Trickery and Knowledge. A child of Sorcery, eager to spread knowledge through the world, she is the reason why humanity is hell bent on discovery the maddness within the void. The truth behind the lies, since her birth humanity has been deriven to madness and delusions far more often than it should.

[junebuggiezz]

MK/Kobeni!Reader + Reaction to fighting style

Reader has Kobeni's personality, but is gender neutral || No Chainsaw Man spoilers || No LMK spoilers besides using the "Noodles or Death" episode from S1 ||

You’re often seen as a coward to people and enemies but as you continue to hang with MK and his family, you begin to build a tolerance. It doesn’t stop you from being afraid though, you just kinda accept the shenanigans it comes with dating MK.

MK just can’t hold in his compliments and praises about you, you’re practically swimming in it—DROWNING. Monkey King has a tally board on how many times you’ve been brought up during hangouts/training. (It’s in the hundreds.)

While you usually don't have issues with MK's hyperactivity and fast-paced infodumps, you sometimes have to ask him to slow down so you don’t get overwhelmed.

You’re not as touchy touchy as he is and he knows it, but you tell him that it’s okay and that you like his hugs. Expect hugging. It’s mandatory at this point, not to mention emotional post-adventure tackles that will leave you on the floor.

He's also a fan of hand holding, not only as another subject of touch, but to keep each other grounded. He might make a small comment about your hand being super sweaty when your nervous or afraid, but that doesn't deter him from holding firm.

Also expect to hear the million forms of Monkey King media that this boy has injected into his brain, his drawings included. You don’t mind it though and he encourages you to ask questions to him or Tang if wanted. Heck— he’ll take you to see his mentor right now!

Speaking of monkey business— knowing your boyfriend is the successor to the Great Sage is worrying to you. Sure, it’s your nature at this point, but you can’t help but blabber as you bandage his arms and clean his wounds. He listens to you and assures you that he’ll be okay, holding your hands as he soothes your worries with a smile on his face. He’s open and honest!

You’re more on the emotional side. Sandy notes to the team that you’re more expressive about the adventures and the demons you’re told about. One drop of sweat and you’re asked if you want to be taken back home, to which you have to stutter out that you’ll be fine (Spoiler alert, you’re 10 seconds away from vomiting).

 You show your fear when it’s at its peak, but sometimes you’re able to pull yourself together— And by that I mean Pigsy has to get on your case to cool it. “You’re not gonna die!” (That makes things worse. Your tears are fountains at this point.)

Words of affirmation are your merit: “You’re doing great!”, “You’ve got this!”, “Nice dodging!”. MK is always willing to give you the support you need to keep moving. You have to be told you’ll be okay when you’re involved with this team’s adventures full of demons, timely legends, literally the majority of HEAVEN. You’re shaking in place, really.

Sandy and Mo are like your emotional therapy partners. Sandy offers you tea to help calm your nerves and recommends meditation sessions together. Mo is your emotional support animal when he’s in your line of vision and he doesn’t mind, pawing at you when he hears your breath and heartbeat pick up. You sometimes squeeze him too hard and he has to wriggle to get your attention and let him catch a breath.

Mei adores you; You two are practically siblings in her eyes, her “Best friend-in-law”. She loves taking you shopping (that she pays for), getting food (that she pays for), and posts on her stories about the two of you. Silly filters are a must, so be warned. She teases about you and MK’s relationship in a lighthearted tone and edits your photos in this exaggerated love-dovey style for her followers to see. “Aww you two are so cuteeee~!”

If you guys ever broke up, she’d be in despair. I’d say longer than MK. Even he’d have to comfort her on the fact that it was mutual.

Pigsy and Tang are a bit surprised by your personality.

“I guess opposites really do attract.” Tang comments.

Pigsy will always stay on MK’s case on treating you right whilst Tang is questioning you and MK’s relationship. Of course they accept you and the next thing you know, Pigsy’s showing you the amount of baby photos of MK and Tang is showing MK’s drawings of TJTTW from when he was a kid.

If you continue to stay in this family long enough there’s a good chance Pigsy will teach you the recipe to his noodles and other menu items, just sayin’.

Wukong just finds you two adorable, he HAS to tease you two all the time. 

MK gets a call from you during training? “Tell’em I said hi, bud!”. 

You bring MK something he forgot from home? “D’AWWW! Your partner’s makin’ sure your all set!” He coos as he presses his palms to his cheeks

Going in for a hug or a quick peck? “When’s the wedding happenin’—”

“WILL YOU CUT IT OUT!?”

Wukong may tease you for fun but that doesn’t mean he won’t care for your safety and offers up lessons for you. MK of course is gonna spiel on how he’ll be the one to protect you, but Wukong is gonna tell him to be realistic and that you’ll have to know when to throw a punch when you’re on your own, to which MK accepts a bit solemnly. It’s up to you whether or not you’ll accept.

MK’s enemies see you as an easy target with the way they’ve seen you act on these adventures, so they believe that kidnapping you and using you as leverage to lure the Great Sage’s successor would be as easy as taking candy from a baby. But despite your shaky nature and fear of demons, you have a lot more skills than meets the eye. 

Your fighting style

You never really showed your fighting style in a “serious” manner despite the scenarios you’ve been in so far, opting in defense and barely dodging all the attacks and debris that were thrown your way. Even if you accepted training, you knew that there was a limit to how much harm was truly done to you. But let’s say you had no other choice or decided to toss your fear aside for the better.

SpiderQueen had just taken you, Pigsy, and Tang hostage into her home for consumption. Of course, of all people, you’re shaking and crying like an absolute maniac and SQ is practically laughing at your misery as tears flow down your face, roughly grabbing your face with her manicured nails.

“Poor Monkie Kid’s heart is gonna shatter in two when he finds his partner’s bones in my soup!”

"Insert an even louder sob."

Fast forward towards being saved and attempting to escape on Sandy’s boat— only to be harshly pulled back by a spider string and tossed to the wall with great impact, leaving you dizzy. SQ is berating you for being such awful guests— how DARE you attempt to leave as she took the time to prepare dinner for you all!?

Everyone in the team is calling out for you to run, dodge, get up! Do anything as SQ’s claw goes down to strike you! But you don’t do either— which takes not only SQ by surprise, but the rest of MK’s team as you grab hold of the sharpened claw and push against it with sudden strength.

Your fight against SQ is almost something out of a movie as you quickly dodge her attacks and use your surroundings as your offense. You’d usually be dodging every blow at the speed of light or someone on the team would be carrying you under their arms as they escaped harm’s way, but this was nothing you’ve ever done. Even your aura alone felt different.

You’re able to run up one of her legs and deliver a swift, hearty kick to her face, leaving her to attempt to use her webs to stick you to the wall. It works, but you utilize it as your swing, and use the ends to attach it to a rock as a makeshift weapon. You counter her attacks and are able to send it back twice as hard without breaking focus. By the time the fight is over the cave is near collapsing, so the team takes the time to pick you up and escape on Sandy’s boat.

When you’re out of harm’s way, the questions are dropped onto you within seconds: 

“WHEN WERE YOU ABLE TO FIGHT LIKE THAT!?” 

“THAT WAS SOOO COOL!” 

“HOW DID YOU DO THAT?? WHEN WERE YOU ABLE TO DO THAT??”

“INCREDIBLE!”

You say it’s hard to explain, like it was this sort of instinct that took over your body. Your defense was pure luck and care from others but your offense was just something that clicked out of nowhere for you. Even you can’t understand it.

As you guys were going back, you remembered the fact that Pigsy never got his ingredients, so you discreetly bolted (thanking Mei as a distraction) to the nearest open store and bought the ingredients Pigsy had listed when he took you and Tang to the market. You came back just in time and lifted the plastic bag in front of the pig demon, who looked at you in surprise.

“I realized we never got your ingredients because of our situation with S-SpiderQueen… I hope I got all the things you needed, Pigsy.”

Pigsy’s face turns stone serious as he ducks his head down, his fist tightening on the bag’s handle. He walks over to MK and puts a hand on his shoulder before looking up at him, a single tear on the verge of falling from his eye. “Kid, you better marry this one.”

“YOU TOO!?” MK yells, face flushed red.

Either way, praise is showered on you as you all are taken back to Pigsy’s and given a fresh bowl of noodles. MK is practically fused to your side as he gushes about how amazing you were despite your fear “A lot better than how I acted earlier, hah haaa….!”

You dug into your noodles and thought back on your fight with SQ. You can’t help but feel proud knowing you stood up for not only yourself but your friends and, at this point, family. You’re still not sure of how this sudden rush of strength flowed into you during the battle… but maybe it’s time for you to improve that sort of skillset and take Monkey King’s offer for training. After all, this was just the beginning.

𖦹— I am all for communicating about writing character traits and criticism! Please do let me know how you feel if you'd like! ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-

[starsinthesky5]

arch my queen, give us songs that feel like joe & songbird. you’re song recs are too good i need this

um. yes?? YES. here is my extensive un-official official playlist for you are in love (if any songs you guys listen to remind you of them, do share!)

aside from every taylor swift love song to exist...here we go:

stay (maurice williams, the zodiacs)

i wanna be yours (arctic monkeys)

heavenly (cigarettes after sex) this is SO their future wedding song.

hunger (ross copperman) another future wedding song.

hey lover (the daughters of eve)

stargirl interlude (the weeknd, lana del rey)

head over heels (tears for fears)

yours (maye)

die for you (the weeknd)

late night talking (harry styles)

good for you (selena gomez, asap rocky)

rollercoaster (bleachers) THIS ONE. THIS ONEE.

fire for you (cannons)

angeleyes (abba)

she looks so perfect (5SOS)

million dollar man (lana del rey)

say yes to heaven (lana del rey)

role model (brent faiyaz)

the boy is mine (ariana grande)

staring (tipling rock)

sure thing (miguel)

perfect (one direction)

space song (beach house)

never in my wildest dreams (dan auerbach)

j's lullaby {darlin' I'd wait for you} (delaney bailey)

I wanna dance with somebody (whitney houston)

love song (lana del rey)

agora hills (doja cat)

adore you (harry styles)

real love baby (father john misty)

heat waves (glass animals)

she will be loved (maroon 5)

saturn (sza)

pillowtalk (zayn)

met gala (gunna)

mr. brightside (the killers

feel it (d4vd)

diet pepsi (addison rae)

shower (becky g)

my love mine all mine (mitski)

into you (ariana grande)

the spins (mac miller, empire of the sun)

lovers (anna of the north)

margerat (lana del rey, bleachers)

must be love (laufey)

packing it up (gracie abrams)

touch tank (quinine) wink wink wink

quarterback (wallows)

espresso (sabrina carpenter)

look after you (the fray)

bed chem (sabrina carpenter)

you keep me up at night (the driver era)

iris (the goo goo dolls)

bmf (sza)

bloodonmyhands (tate mcrae, flo milli)

miss possessive (tate mcrae)

levitating (dua lipa)

warm (ariana grande)

[runningw-thewolves]

Incorrect Statements about Fenrir

(Not calling names or pointing fingers. If anyone starts drama then that’s on them.)

“Fenrir is nothing but a wild animal.”

And this is exactly why wolf culls happen. In the year 2024, when we have proof of animals having individual cultures and possibly religions (see corvids, elephants and monkeys), proof wolves will do everything they can to avoid us, and more than enough proof of their social hierarchy, you’d think this sentiment would’ve died by now. But nope. If Fenrir is a wolf, do forgive me for suspecting he acts like a fucking wolf.

“Fenrir will keep you at arms length.”

Back to the point of wolves being scared of people; if he’s keeping you at arms length, it’s probably cause he doesn’t trust you. And there’s only one reason he wouldn’t trust you; you don’t trust him. I know, shocker! A wolf who has learned to avoid people who treat him with hate, fear and ire avoids people who treat him with hate, fear and ire. Who would’ve thought?

“Fenrir is like a military boot camp.”

Tell me you think of Fenrir as just bloodthirsty without telling me you think of him as just bloodthirsty. I suspect this goes back to the idea of snarling, child-killing, Black muscular hulks of beasts that has been run into the ground as a stereotype. He may be stern and thorough, but he’s not a military drill sergeant. He is not aggression and macho-hyper-masculinity.

“Fenrir is evil.”

Wolves are keystone species. If you take them out, the entire ecosystem collapses. Ask Yellowstone how it found out. Fenrir isn’t evil in the same way Odin isn’t good. There’s no “good vs bad” in Heathenry, merely actions and consequences. Cut it out.

“Fenrir will not comfort you.”

When a wolf dies in a pack, the entire pack mourns. Some packs will break apart after the deaths of the breeding pair. If one of the breeding pair dies, the other mourns. Even after misbehaving members are corrected wolves will give them affirming licks to remind them they are family. What makes you think Fenrir wouldn’t apply to any of this? What makes you think that if a follower, a member of his pack, is suffering that he’ll just sit on the side and watch?

Funny thing is, if I said any of these sentiments but with one of the Aesir I’d get instant clap back.

“Thor is just a drunk swinging a hammer during temper tantrum.” - Not true at all; none of these define him. So why then is Fenrir shoved in a books of assumptions?

“Heimdall will keep you at arms length.” - For what reason? If y’all trust each other, what would be the problem?

If you wouldn’t say it about the Aesir or Vanir, then don’t say it about Fenrir either. Quit trying to paint him as a demon or devil.

[the-monkey-ruler]

If you were given the opportunity to adapt "Journey to the West" into a movie, how would you adapt it? (No necesariamente tiene que ser el libro completo, puede ser un capítulo en particular o lo que quieras).

Oooo I actually thought about this before! It was a while ago but it was so much fun to think! I will say would would do a full-on adaptation with every single arc with every arc counting!

Again I would love it to be 2D with that stretch kind of animation, I think that allowing it to be more stylized would allow designs to be more creative and expressive overall. I would also say to make it more “adult” in that there is blood and death, similar to how Samurai Jack or Lupin the 111 Part 5 is treated with being watched for a younger audience but like in no way is it just for kids either or holds back on the violence.

I would still love it to be a completely character-driven series spanning 14 years, with explored relationships and realistic development. I would still lean into a comedic tone, but still balance serious elements, with the characters treating even the most serious situations with a sense of humor. I would love to see them face challenges and lose the battle not because they are weak but rather because of their lack of cooperation. They start off as dysfunctional and at odds with each other but as the journey continues we see all five pilgrims learn how to work together and become a team. Despite initial disagreements, they eventually come together to overcome their foes, recognizing the importance of relying on each other. Very found family trope which I eat up like candy. Also a like of highlighting quiet moments between scenes, such as cooking and cleaning camp sights, and filler episodes focusing on flashbacks of characters like Bajie, Wujing, and Bailong, who feel depressed and lose their sense of self due to their new positions. I would love to show each season changing cause this is FOURTEEN YEARS and how that could be shown with changing seasons in the background.

Would still love entire character arcs for each character. Bajie once being a Marshall instead becomes a lazy pig on earth and falls into a state of depression and acts on whim, seeking fleeting joy. Throughout his journey, he proves he is a capable fighter and starts caring for others and despite being a jerk, Bajie cares in his own rough way and starts showing that while he isn't perfect he always tries to get better. Wujing, initially soft-spoken and quick to rage, initially avoids speaking due to his fear of being blamed for a single mistake. However, as he sees his brothers' loudness and brashness, he starts to see that he isn't judged for every mistake. He learns that ribbing isn't punishment, and he can relax around new people who are also screw-ups. This experience helps Wujing build self-confidence and stand up for himself without being a doormat to others. BaiLong starts off as a standoff member who doesn't speak much but he is still expressive and aggressive, like in that horse in Tangled. He sees himself as responsible for keeping Sanzang safe and is often in guard dog mode. Despite lacking scales or horns, BaiLong is treated like a brother and the pilgrims provide him with support he never got from his bio family. He is not a trained soldier but he comes to see himself as part of the group as they all have their strengths and weaknesses.

I would like Sanzang to be seen as inexperienced in the real world. He has lived in a monastery his entire life but is sheltered from other kingdoms. Sanzang sees corruption in the palace and is given a sign by Gaunyin to make a real change without politics or face-saving. The story should follow Xuanzang's Pilgrimage, where Sanzang sneaks out of Tang without the Emperor's approval, finding it worth it. But he is arrogant and believes he has everything figured out because he got to the highest level of monk in his kingdom quickly. When he meets his new disciples, he is forced to see how people with different paths of life than him have different points of view and how this challenges his own thinking. He starts to be humbled and starts to learn just as much from his disciples as they learn from him. Would love to explore Sanzang's emotional disconnect from his family trauma, including his father's resurrection and mother's suicide. Despite kidnappings, he becomes more open with his journeymates, demonstrating empathy for the stress of new responsibilities. Also, a physical transformation from his 20s to his 40s would be a concise choice as he would be the only mortal in the group, showcasing his growth and transformation throughout his journey.

But of course, I would have Wukong completely leaning into his ex-warlord persona, characterized by arrogance, cockiness, and a tendency to threaten with violence. He is charming, charismatic, and funniest, giving people a chance to walk away. His expressive and cartoonish reactions showcase his range of emotions. However, Wukong's excess of power harms the environment and people around him, leading Sanzang to push for less violent means. The use of 2D animation would showcase Wukong's creativity and innovation, capturing the audience's imagination and understanding of his power. Wukong's strength is evident in his diverse powers, but he needs to be more considerate and rely on Bajie and Wujing for protection. He learns how to acknowledge them as equals and recognizes that being the strongest person doesn't automatically make him right. In a long-running series, Wukong should gradually come to understand that he has a team and a different brotherhood compared to his past. This would be particularly interesting in the Demon Bull King episode. Wukong realizes he also was kinda sheltered in his own world, as he was surrounded by more yes-men than equals. His past brotherhood allowed him to demonstrate destructive behavior, leading to a spiral of self-sabotage. Wukong focuses on growing empathy for others, a skill that is difficult to learn. He struggles physically, mentally, and emotionally in situations, questioning his decisions. This constant battle with himself is particularly evident during a pilgrimage, where he must become dedicated to his mission and become a deity.

Wukong realizes that his power doesn't make him superior, and he needs humility, also parading Sanzang's own journey. He acknowledges that his teammates, including Bajie, Wujing, Sanzang, and BaiLong, have something to offer, even if it's not immediate strength. He starts to accept his limitations and recognizes that others can do what he can't. He hasn't realized his faults and is starting to rely on others, especially in a new group that sees him as a fellow Pilgrim. This newfound equality allows him to see himself as just like anyone else, trying his best. I would love a focus on the interaction between the five characters to maintain balance. More scenes where the initial gruff attitude changes over time, affecting the entire group or the group as a whole. This approach may seem extreme, but they believe it would be suitable for the show.

BUT AS FOR ARCS

General Yin 寅將軍- 1st Month. The first demon we see against Sanzang, would love to see Sanzang having to see his two guards sacrificing themselves for him and how that guilt carries with him for the rest of the journey. Also maybe adding a connection with Sanzang and a fear of Tigers for late down with Wukong being connected to Tigers and Sanzang being turned into a Tiger

Sanzang found Wukong right after maybe a 2nd Month. Really enjoy the idea that Sanzang chooses to help Wukong without knowing that he is disciple but just cause he trusted Wukong when he said he needed help. A clear sign of his naive nature but also how Wukong relied on that nature to save himself in the first place.

I think they get Bailong much later, maybe in the 4th or 5th month. Would love to see how Wukong and Sanzang interact on their own but also to have Bailong join to showcase Wukong's power. Would also love Sanzang poking a lil fun at Wukong saying that he could defeat dragons but he can't this one.

Jinchi Elder 金池长老 - 6th Month. would love to see how this would highlight Wukong's initial bloodlust and how he chooses to escalate situations to harm others. He didn't have to burn down a whole monetary down but he did because he WANTED to.

Black Wind King 黑風怪 - 6th Month. Same with how Wukong sees another Yao in the same situation as him with the headband and how even someone EXACTLY in the same situation as him and he still thinks Black Wind should die and how this could be a lesson in how he needs to learn to empathize. He was given mercy to try again and how so should other yao as well.

They find Bajie about 8 Months into the journey. I like to think that Wukong and Sanzang had a lot of time to themselves and that the change in the dynamics with Bajie.

Yellow Wind Demon 黃風怪 - 9 Month. This first Wukong ever gets HURT like he is BLIND. He never relied on someone before and now he has to trust Bajie the man he just fought in the last arc. It is kinda a moment he really gets scared and also Bajie shows the first signs that he does care enough not to leave Wukong for dead.

Wujing is picked up around the 11th month, nearly a year into the journey for Wukong and Sanzang but they get him after a huge miscommunication.

Great Zhenyuan Immortal 鎮元大仙 - 1st Year. First group crime together. Kinda Wukong wanted to rebel but also tried to connect with Bajie and Wujing similar to how he did with his brotherhood. He has to see that the dynamics aren't the same and struggle with seeing them as 'equals' rather than 'underlings. Would also love Zhenyaun bringing up his friendship with the Golden Cicida a lot more and how Sanzang feels about his past reincarnations.

White Bone Demon 白骨精 - 1.5 Year. CHANGE IN MORALS. Sanzang rather than fighting for not believe Wukong that White Bone Demon isn't a demon, he is more arguing that she hasn't hurt them and that Wukong shouldn't hurt anyone, human or yao, for what they MIGHT do. And Wukong KNOWS she is about to do something considering that up to this point, Wukong has killed more humans than demons on the journey Sanzang has his doubts. Bajie also acted on this point as more trying to get back at Wukong for the Fake-Gao situation but didn't think this would lead to banishment. Wukong tries and succeeds in resurrecting his home and sees that one of his past sworn brothers the Jaio Demon King sacrificed himself to keep his monkeys safe.

Yellow Robe Demon 黃袍怪 - 1.5 Year. The main change is that the wife does love Yellow Robe but also knows he is in the wrong and wants to go back to her family, also her kids don't die from the 2010 series. A lot of Bajie has to humble himself and see that he can't do this alone either and how Bailong and Wujing are gone. Sanzang is turned into a tiger but also him being hunted by humans. He sees what it's like to not be believed when Yellow Robe changes him and how this affects him greatly on the journey. Would love a reunion with Sanzang acknowledging that he shouldn't have sent Wukong away but he can't give up the idea that one should see the best in people and how he should have seen that in Wukong too.

Golden Horned King 金角大王 and Silver Horned King 銀角大王- 2nd Year. the first time the gang is back together and things are still tense but Wukong trying to lighten the mood while Sanzang trying to have a 'serious talk' all while demons are trying to capture him. Kinda more light-hearted but genuine trying is seen. Kinda like it just increases with how it goes from the Horned Kings, to their Mother, and then to the Great Fox King and it just escalates more and more to parallel how Wukong would rather just keep running from the Talk than sit down and talk to Sanzang until the end.

Lion-Lynx Demon 獅猁怪 - 2.5 Year. The fake Sanzang arc but also Wukong asking the fillet to be used to see who is real. Kinda a big show of trust but also a slow understanding of Sanzang and Wukong in how similar they are in their dedication, and willingness to put themselves in pain for each other. Also Wukong being outed as never eating humans cause he has healing powers and Wujing and Bajie poking fun at him for lying.

Red Boy 紅孩兒 - 3rd Year. Wukong OVERJOYED seeing a connection to his past. He thought that he could be an uncle to Red Boy but became heartbroken when he found out he was never mentioned to the kid and in fact he never heard of Bull King's Brotherhood, like it never existed. Makes Wukong have to reevaluate his past friendships and whether he cares more about them than they care about him. E.I. he was more used for protection than pure friendship. Asks Guanyin to show the kid mercy and Red Boy gets to be friends with Longnu and Muzha. Wukong still wants to have a connection with Red Boy but he more upset that he sees so much in himself in Red Boy, acting like his actions don't have consequences. Also love the Bajie/Wujing saving Wukong scene with Bajie giving him CPR and refusing to think someone like Wukong would die like that.

Black River Demon 鼉龍 - 3.5 Year. BAILONG ARC! I need Bailong fighting his cousin since this was more of a Wujing arc. But just how Bailong's own older brother comes to arrest the Black River Demon and we see how cold his family treats Bailong, pretending he is not even there, and how the pilgrims make an effort to show how they appreciate Bailong like his bio family never could. I would like to think Wujing conforming to him as this was originally more his arc since he was fighting underwater but more Wujing stepping up as the brother that Bailong never had.

Tiger Strength Great Immortal 虎力大仙, Elk Strength Great Immortal 鹿力大仙, and Antelope Strength Great Immortal 羊力大仙 - 4th Year. MY FAVORITE arc. Pure comedy just Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing coming together for the first time to bully/heckle another group of three together. Nothing brings people together like a common enemy and these three make sure to win every challenge with over-the-top enthusiasm. Makes Sanzang learn how to unwind a bit and come to laugh along with the hijinks. But really just need these three to have a great time committing crimes and Sanzang being non the wiser like "my pilgrims would never." Oh they would.

Spiritual Touch 靈感大王 - 4.5 Year. A more quiet episode of Sanzang seeing a village with his family name, maybe a Sanzang flashback to his mother's death and how he couldn't connect with his father. Sanzang wanted a family so bad but even when he got them back he couldn't make up for years of growing up without them and that he feel more close with Fa Ming as his caretaker. Also, Bajie trying to help with his perfect joke "Sink To The Bottom" and how he used to be a Water god. This would be a great time to have a flashback to Bajie's human past and he misses being a deity and how useless he feels in his new body. Heavy on the backstory and less on the demon.

Single Horned Rhinoceros King 獨角兕大王 - 5th Year. Bajie THOUGHT he was HELPING cause Sanzang was freezing by leaving the circle. I would love to see Wukong REALLY struggling as he loses to this guy at least five times, almost having a mental breakdown cause he even loses entire armies, heavenly armies that trusted him, and how he flashbacks to losing his monkeys against heaven. Takes a lot out of him and in the end he sees it is that the Rhino King does have the SAME weapon the Diamon snare that defeated him in the first place.

Ruler of Women's Country 女兒國國王 and Scorpion Demon 蠍子精 - 5.5 Year. I am not a fan of this being seen as a romance but more a Queen abusing her power to trap someone against their will. Poor Sanzang has been kidnapped by demons before but this is his first time being kidnapped by a human and he has to fight himself with how humans can commit horrid deeds as well which changes his worldview. Bajie, Wujing, and Wukong really become protective as women keep trying to harness Sanzang. Would love to see Wujing getting more confident and maybe touching on his own backstory at this point. Almost I'm a fan of 1996 Bajie where he is more of a romantic and he feels uncomfortable being seen as "just a piece of meat" when the women want them just because they are men.

Six Eared Macaque 六耳獼猴 - 6th Year (perfect for this being nearly the halfway point in the journey to show the balance starting to change) Kinda seeing Wukong regress to his more violent tendencies due to the Queen in the previous arc. Kills bandits without mercy and shows them proudly to Sanzang cause "humans can be evil as well" and Sanzang still wants to hold on that anyone can change for the better. Wukong on the other hand still stands that if people don't want to change then they shouldn't be given the choice. This leads to the banishment BUT THEN Wukong being FORCED to face a version of himself that never wanted to change as well. Would he still go on the journey for the wrong reasons? Would he have lost all his empathy for even his own monkeys? Did the Six Ears deserve mercy like he was once given? A lot of self-reflecting on Wukong's part on what it means to forgive others but also to forgive yourself and I think the REAL turning point in Wukong's character development from someone forced on the journey to someone who wants to be there for his own sake. Sanzang and he might never see eye to eye but Sanzang starts to realize while he can see the best in others he can't be naive to the point of putting himself in danger and Wukong starts to accept that others deserve mercy like he was given as well.

Princess Iron Fan 鐵扇公主 and Bull Demon King 牛魔王 - 6.5 Year. HUGE ARC. The first arc which Wukong really comes to terms with his own changes as a person from a warlord to a pilgrim. Another this is about seven years into the journey as well. Wukong thought he could visit an old friend but Iron Fan is pissed as him and Wukong went to see Bull King himself but sees that it is very one-sided. Bull King USED to be a genuine friend but has moved on and had a family, seeing Wukong only as someone that he used to know and Wukong has to face that he lost a dear friend not by death but because they are two different people that have grown apart. Bajie and Wujing really step up to give Wukong backup, both in a fight but also in emotional support as while they don't know Wukong's old friends they want to show their support by being his friends now. Wukong used to be alone but he isn't anymore. Wukong mourns the loss of their friendship and asks Nezha to go easy on him. Iron Fan herself moves on to work on her own cultivation but ends on a small friendship between Wukong and Iron Fan.

Wansheng Princess 萬聖公主 and Nine-Headed Demon 九頭蟲 - 7th Year. Another huge Bailong arc and how he had his falling out with his family. I do enjoy the 1987 take that Bailong's fiance left him for the Nine Headed Demon and think this is another way that the pilgrims can be there for him as they fight the demons. Wansheng tries to get back on Bailong's side when she sees Nine Heads is losing but Bailong respects himself enough now to reject her and go back to his new friends who were there for him. Would also love Erlang and Wukong to have a moment to talk about how Erlang spared his family instead of doing the Nine Generations Punishment and how he is thankful hence why they are sworn brothers. I adore Erlang and Wukong's similarities and how Wukong is still going to do what HE wants but he is aware that he is trying to find out what truly needs now in his life.

The Tree Spirits - 7.5 Year. I really loved this as a quiet arc again with Sanzang just having a great time with Tree Spirits who kidnapped him who wanted to talk poetry. All the while Wujing, Bajie, Wujing, and Bailong are losing their shits trying to look for him. More comedic than anything and allows Sanzang to interact with yao that is not violent. Would like to keep out the end where they try to force Sanzang to get married and Wukong to kill them all again. Just that they get to escape and Wukong warns Sanzang that they could have killed him. But Sanzang reassures Wukong that he wasn't in danger, that people can be powerful but that doesn't make them bad and uses Wukong himself to make that point.

Yellow Brows Great King 黃眉大王 - 8th Year. Would love to see Yellow Brows kinda like how he is in Black Myth, someone delusional that he is right and deserves to be Buddha while running what is practically a cult. Still holds a grudge against the Golden Cicada and tries to take over the journey to one-up him. Makes Wukong kinda look at this guy and see a lil bit of himself, someone who always thought he was right and uses his might to enforce it. But Wukong knows that his own arrogance leads to his downfall.

Python Demon 蟒蛇精 - 8.3 Year. Just more of a joke demon, does not speak but they get to have hijinks trying to chase her and pin her down. Would love Bajie and Wukong trying to get her pinned down and leads to wukong being eaten and he has to grow to escape and just gets all over Bajie that he hates this part of the job.

Sai Tai Sui / Great King Jupiter's Rival 賽太歲 - 8.7 Year. huge on comedy, this is Wukong pretending to be a doctor, and Bajie, Wujing, and Bailong are being absolutely hilarious by playing along. Wukong actually has no idea what is wrong with the guy just finds out that he misses his wife and instead spends his time fucking around and seeing how much outrageous stuff he can get away with in the meantime. Also Wujing and Bajie being 'nurses' who just follow along to make the situation far more silly. They make this poor king eat medicine from dragon piss and snot the demon doesn't even really matter, just these four being bafoons.

Spider Demons 蜘蛛精 and Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord 百眼魔君 - 9th Year. Sanzang just trying to do something on his own to show that he isn't useless but of course leads to him being kidnapped. Kinda hits him hard how much he can't even get water/food by himself and hits his self-esteem. Would love to see Wukong kinda having another mental breakdown seeing his friends poisoned and how he really comes to care for them even to the point of panic. Kinda like the 1999 take where the sisters don't die in the end and Wukong spares them as long as they promise to change their ways after seeing how Hundred Eyes betrayed them.

Azure Lion 青毛獅子, Yellow Toothed Elephan t黃牙老象, and lden Winged Great Peng 金翅大鵬雕 - 9.5 Year. pure comedy. There are serious moments are this would be the first three-on-three since the Daoist arc but would love to see all of them fighting together side by side in a huge epic fight. These SHOULD be serious demons and they can be but this illusion is kinda shattered when Wukong first meets them by entering their army, lying about commands, going into their cave, and beating the crap out of Azure Lion from the inside out. Like Wikong defeats these guys practically single-handedly and Sanzang has to ASK Wukong to let them go. Sadly does lead to them coming back but does end with a big battle. Also, the Million Demon Kingdom that I love would to be fully explored.

White Deer Spirit 白鹿精 and White-Faced Vixen Spirit 白面狐狸精 - 10th Year. Another comedy as Wukong pretends to be Sanzang moments but would love to see how a yao family White Deer being an adopted father to White Fox and how she dies because of his plans. It would start more silly but gets serious when we really see how White Deer cared for his daughter but at the same point, they tried to kill like 10,000 babies so that would have been worse.

Lady Earth Flow 地涌夫人 - 10.5 Year. Big fan of the idea that Earth Flow was really in love with Sanzang due to his past life from the 2010 series. However, that love is one-sided and she is too blind to her own desires to see what he really wants. Really more exploring how Sanzang always feels overshadowed by the Golden Cicada but the pilgrims reassure him that he was chosen for who he is, not because he was someone else and how they are on this journey with Sanzang, not the Golden Cicada.

Ruler of the Kingdom of Miefa 滅法國 - 11th Year. Another good example of how humans can be horrible is that this king wants all monks to be killed. Treated with more humor as Wukong SHAVES the entire kingdom's heads but I do think that this would be a good point in which Sanzang can confront the king himself in how this king took out his rage on innocents and has reached a point where he understands misplacing rage. A good balance of how the King has to be accountable and also shows how Wukong is able to start solving issues without violence.

King of the Southern Hill 南山大王 - 11.5 Year. This one is a comedy arc but more tired with tragedy as well. The leopard demon here convinces Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing that Sanzang has died, leading to the three to have a funeral for Sanzang and cry over his body. Again leads to some good moments to show how the gang cares for each other but also cuts to Sanzang hoping that his friends come get him too. Kinda have a moment where the King thinks that once the pilgrims 'mourn' they will leave but they don't know about the 6 phase of grief REVENGE! Of course, all three of them try to kill the King for Sanzang but instead, this leads to the gang just being overjoyed that Sanzang is not dead. Also Wukong still 100% wanting to kill this leopard demon for tricking him.

Prefect of Phoenix-Immortal - 12th Year. This was a kinda a more dramatic arc where a kingdom insults the good on accident and how they are punished with drought. I am taking a lot from the 1987 series in how Wukong was insulted on behalf of the people, seeing that their punishment was unfit for the crime, and how his empathy has been able to grow for him to become seen as a hero for the people. Also would love to see how Wujing really related to the people and how his own punishment left him uncertain and insecure over himself but how he was able to overcome these challenges despite what he has become.

Tawny Lion Demon 黃獅精 and Grand Saint of Nine Spirits 九靈元聖 - 12.5 Year. This one was the most interesting as this wasn't one where Sanzang gets kidnapped but rather the weapons were taken. I would change that the lions don't have to die but rather more of a comedy arc of the Nine Spirits trying to ground up his grandkids when he had a good relationship with the neighboring kingdom. This is a good example of yao and humans able to live in together without conflict and how Nine Spirits fears that his grandkids have ruined this peace. And of course, Wukong, Bajie, and Wujing use silly stunts to try to get their shit back. Also touching more on the pilgrim's own disciples the three princes and maybe even giving them names. I would just like to think that these three princes do always keep their teachings to heart.

King of Cold Protection 辟寒大王, King of Heat Protection 辟暑大王, and King of Dust Protection辟塵大王 - 13th Year. This one is something where I would LOVE Sanzang just being done with being kidnapped. Like he is not phased. He even warns the three to let him go because it as been 14 years and he really doesn't want to end this with these poor guys getting their butts whooped by his overpowering disciples. Kinda comedy but really would enjoy a good battle three on three again.

Jade Rabbit 玉兔精 - 13.5 Year. this one plays more on the 1999 series where the Rabbit is clear she wants to do this cause she hates the real Princess. It is actually nothing personal against Sanzang but just HE HAPPENS to be the one she chooses to marry. More of a mystery of where the real princess is but the gang finds her to get the Jade Rabbit arrested and Sanzang can get free of a forced marriage again.

Squire Kou - 14th Year. This one I think is the perfect arc to really end on, paralleling the first 6 bandits that Wukong fought. He could have killed the family that imprisoned them, but instead, he uses his power to freeze the bandits, get them back, convince the family that their relative's ghost is haunting them, go to Hell to get his spirit back and save the day with hurting a single human. He does an entire arc using his varieties of powers, wit, and intelligence to get out of this, a vast difference from the pure fighting warlord he used to be. I think this would be an arc heavy in symbolism and references to the first bandits they fought and Sanang SEEING the change in Wukong.

Great White Turtle 大白龜 - Of course, they make it to the end but of course, there is one last thing. I think Sanzang lost his cool and had his own breakdown at 'ruining' the scriptures something he spent so long to get but the gang trying to tell him that people make mistakes and that doesn't define them. And that maybe an imperfect world needs imperfect scriptures more than perfect ones because people need to doubt and learn for themselves. Just like Sanzang did. In the end Xiyouji is a story of hope and I think that Sanzang sees that even if things ain't perfect that doesn't make them any less valuable or wonderful and how that sentiment is seen with the new family he has found.

[zzthekaiju]

THE GREAT MONSTER HUNTER RANKING! Part 7

I'll be upfront, mammals aren't really my thing when it comes to monster design. It seems that when it happens, creature designers always default to the same primates/canines/felines/ursids or what not. An argument could be made about reptiles having the same issue, but you know, personal biases. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean they CAN'T be cool. And this franchise knows (most of the time) exactly how to do that. We're looking at the mammals...and the Wyverns that look like mammals!

Before we go on, I will say that there are certain sub-categories of mammal monster in this world. I'll be starting with the most popular of them...because it's a sad fact of life that we as a species are somewhat narcissistic. So OF COURSE the beasts based on monkeys and apes get a lot of popularity. Eh, at least they're neat.

The Primate Fanged Beasts:

"Please laugh."

We're not exactly to a dignified start here. The Congalala and its smaller Conga followers look like a cartoon character as opposed to anything you'd expect from these games. They're big pink gorillas with the heads of hippos...and they fight primarily by farting. Yes, this deadly razor-clawed combo of some very powerful African animals fights by eating mushrooms and producing enough flatulence to warrant deodorant should it hit.

It...bears mentioning that gorillas in real-life do indeed fart a lot. Perhaps Capcom was on to something. But it doesn't make for an appealing monster. This thing is like a bad joke they couldn't stop telling. And its STILL able to throttle hunters with its aforementioned gross-out humor and razor-sharp talons. Bleh. 4/10.

"What? Were you expecting a yeti or something?"

In contrast with its predecessor, the Blangonga and its troop of Blangos fairs far better on the eyes and during a fight. Despite its heft, this baboon-gorilla is exceptionally agile, and can run circles around you while its underlings harass you. However, should you break its fangs, the Blangos will abandon their leader, as big fangs are considered a major sign of power amongst these monkeys. That's really neat! But aside form that, they're really just big baboons and that's it. Neat baboons, but still. 6/10.

"And this is to go EVEN FURTHER BEYOND!"

The Rajang is by and large the most feared Fanged Beast, and one of the most feared monsters period, that this world has to offer. I know I say that a lot, but it's pretty amazing how those so-called Elder Dragons keep getting shown up by supposedly lesser monsters that won't settle for waiting until the old-timers are gone. Raj here is already an intimidating sight, being a large gorilla-baboon with huge horns that make it look almost like a minotaur. But then it gets mad and/or takes a bite out of the horn of the Kirin (its favorite food). Then, it lights up with brilliant yellow stripes, lightning crackles all over its body, and before you know it, you're facing an honest-to-God Super Saiyan, complete with fists that hit so hard they superheat and release steam as they glow an angry red. Oh, and it can fire beams of lightning from its mouth too. But like a Saiyan, you can remove this amazing power by severing the tail (unless you're fighting a Furious Rajang, which has no tail but remains super anyway because screw the rules). The only thing that keeps this whole affair from being an unfair fight is that the Rajang has low health by its rank's standards. Plus, its armor set is based on the very being that inspired Toriyama all those years ago: the legendary Monkey King called Sun Wukong.

Gotta say, go monkey, go. 8.5/10.

"What good is a fight if it isn't fun?"

Just when you thought Primate Fanged Beasts were going to get old really fast, in swings the Kecha Wacha! First of all, just look at this and tell me it isn't the weirdest and the most charming of the monkey crew we got going on here. It's got the body of a monkey, the coloration of a fox, the face of an elephant, and the flaps of a flying squirrel to glide with. It's also got some wicked talons to swipe at you with, and its big ears can cover its face to make it look like it's wearing an intimidating mask. There's just so much personality and creativity in this design! It makes me want to see more of it in future games, and why we haven't seen that remains a mystery to me. 9/10

"I like to move it, move it! You like to beat it, beat it!"

The Kecha Wacha was an amazingly unique primate, but so too is the Bishaten. Personally, I see this beast as more of a giant lemur as opposed to a traditional ape. Though really, there's nothing quite like this beaked, winged, crafty, beautifully colored simian! You might have noticed, but one of its more striking features is the hand-like tail it has that it can use to rear up and hit even harder than before...or get a better aim. You see, the Bishaten fights not just with fast reflexes and raw strength. It stores a lot of special fruit in its chest pouch, which it can then chuck at foes. These include fruits that flashblind and fruits that inflict poison. Though should the monkey be knocked back down to the ground, it will drop not just these fruits for the hunter to use instead, but also healing fruits. It makes for a fun fight, against an already fun monster. I should also note that the Yokai this Rise monster is based on is the Tengu, a being said to be like a bird-man, and oftentimes malicious and/or devious. I was hoping they'd make a Flying Wyvern out of the Tengu myth, but this works just as well! 8/10.

"My body is literally a temple."

The Garangolm is...kind of underwhelming. It's dubbed one of the Three Lords of the MH:R Sunbreak expansion, and it admittedly has the power to back that up. It looks like and is built like a living castle, and while it doesn't usually attack people, it can destroy opponents with the ability to cover its arms in gauntlets of either magma or the moss it shares a symbiotic relationship with. The result is a lot of pain, and the ground being uprooted at all times. I should also note that it's specifically based on the mythological golem, or being made of materials like clay. That, or Frankenstein's Monster (which is technically a golem). But in terms of design and execution, I can't help but feel that Garangolm is a little derivative. It's just a big gorilla with armor. Not much more, not much less. 6/10.

Pop quiz, what's the scariest mammal you can picture that isn't a big cat? If you guessed bears, you'd be absolutely correct. However, because this a world where suped-up dinosaurs and living dragons exist, the mighty bear finds itself more than a bit outclassed, and thus most of these Fanged Beasts occupy the bottom end of the danger totem pole. That doesn't mean you underestimate them totally, though!

The Ursid Fanged Beasts:

"Oh bother, I'm going to have to gut you for touching my honey pot."

Again, monster bears are some of the least of our problems in these parts. That's how ruthless this ecosystem can be. But that won't stop the Arzuros from trying to beat you down for daring it interrupt its feeding on its favorite snack, honey. In fact, should you have some honey to put on the ground, it'll drop everything its doing to dig in. Amusing, but I'd like to say that even as a monster meant to get bodied by beginners, it's not bad. It's basically a giant bear, but it's got pretty colors, and its arms look like they've got spiked braces on them. A bear of character, this one is. 7/10.

"BIG, BIG, BIG CHU-no."

Although its one of the three bears that kickstarted the Ursid line in the first place, the Lagombi looks more like a giant rabbit that slides around hitting everything with its momentum, or just flinging huge snowballs at foes. Of note in its design is how its face looks like an armored version or a wombat, or even the wombat's giant prehistoric ancestor, the Diprotodon. It's a very unique beast, and for that it already deserves a spot above its simple bear predecessor. 7.5/10.

"Rollin', rollin', shockin'"

The last in the bear trio, the Volvidon all but drops the ursid look in favor of being basically a crocodile-armadillo. That's cool! And yes, it can roll around and hit you as a big ball. Oh, and it also has a long tongue that it can use to whip you, saliva that paralyzes you, and...the ability to fart really hard so that you need a deodorant. Not again. Well, at least this one sports a more dignified and vividly weird design than Mr. Pinkie McFartsalot from way earlier. So much so that I'll let it completely slide. 7.5/10.

"Now bears are REALLY bad news!"

Out of all the bears that came before and even those that might be still to come, none are quite as big of a threat as the Goss Harag. To give you an idea of how intimidating this big ursine is, it was based explicitly off the Namahage, a Japanese bogeyman that lives in the mountains, wears a scary hannya mask, and wields knives to eat up misbehaving children. The Goss Harag fits that description near-perfectly. EVEN THE KNIFE BIT. This is because it can suck up cold air and expel it so that it either freezes prey or, failing that, instantly harden upon hitting itself, turning most of the time into a huge icy knife. And this monster is intelligent enough to use it well. To add to the demon motif, it spends a lot of combat on its hind legs, and its skin can turn a furious red whenever it gets really steamed.

I'm calling it, this is the best Ursid around for being a major love letter to Japanese folklore and just being so darned unique. 8.5/10.

We come to the end of our exclusive furry club, but at this point, the monsters get harder to sub-categorize. So, here are the mammals that are neither primate or bear.

The Other Fanged Beasts:

"THEY CALL ME, MI-STAR PIG!!!"

The Bulldrome is a giant boar. That's really all there is to it. Granted, giant boars are no joking matter, even with the normally docile Bullfangos that this monster is a bigger version of. But other than having that wild haircut and a way bigger right tusk, there's not much I can say. If you really like pigs, this is your guy, I guess. 5/10.

"Everyone's taking the L-ephant"

The last of the Fated Four I'll be covering, and sadly one of the most underutilized. You look at the others and you find that they've at least gotten some time to shine in the recent games. Not poor Gammoth. For some reason, this huge pachyderm has been shafted again and again. And to be fair, I kind of understand why. This elephant is HUGE, one of the biggest large monsters around. It's nowhere near as fast as its peers, it takes up a lot of arena space, and the strategy to fight it begins and ends with hitting its legs until it falls over. But while all of that doesn't make for the most engaging fight, that doesn't mean Gammoth is a bad monster. In fact, it's a great one! Capcom went all out with designing a huge fantastical Woolly Mammoth, giving it a really appealing color scheme of reds and blues, as well as a rather striking piece of head armor. And if you do some digging, you'll find that this beast is every bit as honorable as most real-life elephants tend to be. It is said to sometimes live alongside herds of Popo, and valiantly protect them from its most hated enemy, the Tigrex. Also, every Gammoth we've seen so far is female, a nod to how elephant herds are led by a matriarch. Also, its theme music is appropriately grandoise and heavy-feeling. Love it! 8.5/10.

"Please stop calling me a four-legged dumpling."

Our last Fanged Beast is a small one. The Bombadgy are the only major new small monsters in Rise, and they're kinda gross-looking and pitiful. Look at that! It's the size of a beach ball and just as bouncy. And they explode. Yes, the gasses within the very appropriately named Bombadgy are so volatile that if you were to hit it, it will go flying in whatever direction you're facing, and deflate with the force of a bomb. Such absurdity is befitting of a creature based on the Tanuki, a Yokai that looks like a crafty racoon dog with...rather gifted lower regions. In fact, a Bombadgy sitting down kinda makes it look like...that. What a sad weirdo. 5.5/10.

And that's the Fanged Beasts!

Now, we come to a very interesting category. Initially, only one was in it, and it quickly rose to fame in a heartbeat. Now, there are several, and at first it may seem odd as to HOW they're organized. Some look like mammals, but then some don't. Well, there's actually a simple explanation for that. These creatures are, in my opinion, Synapsids. That means mammal-like reptile, and it refers to a bunch of prehistoric creatures primarily from the Paleozoic Era that looked reptilian, but also have very distinctly mammalian characteristics. Thus, these Wyverns fit snugly into that description. So without further ado...

The Fanged Wyverns:

"Don't lie, you're thinking of the music right now."

Some might say that the Zinogre is an overrated monster. But in my eyes, it earned the reputation it has. It's a giant wolf, already the mark of something that will have mass appeal, but it's also huge, has gauntlet-like fists with huge blades for claws, a vibrant color scheme, and a wide tail like that of mutant beaver. But Zinogre's true power resides in its symbiotic relationship with Fulgurbugs, small insects that can generate obscene amounts of electricity. Living within small cavities in the monster's horns and spikes, the bugs in exchange give the Zinogre the ability to channel electricity into its attacks for devastating damage. And this is on top of hitting hard with moves that make it almost look like its breakdancing. Such spectacle and biological wonder make for a monster that does indeed represent what makes these beasts so fascinating. And on top of that, it's well-known for having a theme that incorporates an electric guitar on top of traditional eastern instruments (there was a version of this theme on Youtube that combined the MHW:I and MH:R themes, but I can't find it). 9/10.

"GIT IN MAH BELLEH!"

A lot of people have bullied the Great Jagras for being a starter monster that gets its ass kicked by just about everything. But I find myself rather charmed by it. It's basically a giant iguana, but I don't mind the simplicity. It being an iguana brings to mind the Slurpasaurs of those old 50s movies that used iguanas to substitute for dinosaurs. That, and it just makes me think of the monster-sona of Shaggy from Scooby-Doo, right down to having the same voracious appetite. Oh yeah, it can swallow large herbivores whole. Still, I like this monster for what it is. 8.5/10.

"I'm a snaaake."

The Great Girros isn't quite as charming as the Jagras, but I still think people are needlessly mean to it. It's a big lizard-cobra with cool colors and gills to help it breathe in its realm, the corpse-laden Rotten Vale. Most of the time, they just scavenge off of what falls into that putrid land, and fight with fangs capable of paralyzing foes. Again, not the greatest monster, but certainly not a painfully average one. 7/10.

"Reptilian ankle biters."

The Shamos are an interesting breed. Like the Jagras and the Girros, they are small Fanged Wyverns that occupy a part of the New World, in this case the Coral Highlands. But unlike the other two, they don't have a Great leader. They're just weird little scamps that show up every now and then. Bit of a shame, really. A Great Shamos would be interesting to see. 5.5/10.

"Protect at all costs."

The Dodogama all but captured the hearts of everyone who saw it. And I see the appeal! It's a big rotund reptile colored with the appealing hues of a agamid lizard and a massive lower jaw that not only looks way less dumb than, say, the Uragaan's, but also makes it look like it's giving us all the biggest smile! Also, it sounds like a whale. But don't think for a moment that the Dodogama is totally defenseless. Its saliva is incredibly volatile, and when mixed with the rocks it feasts on, they become explosive boulders that it can lob at foes. Gotta say, it's rare you find a monster that manages to be cute and cool at the same time. 8.5/10.

"That's not flying! It's falling with style!"

Monsters that look like snakes are never not going to score big for me, but I really admire the direction they went with the Tobi-Kadachi. It's got the head of a snake (complete with the brow of an eyelash pit viper), but the body plan of, of all things, a flying squirrel. Yes, it can glide. That's already neat, but then you factor in how it can generate static electricity by rubbing itself against everything and then storing that static in special spines across its back. Once again, we have a Fanged Wyvern that goes all-in on out-there creativity, and I love it! 8/10.

"I SMELL BACON!!!"

The deadliest predator in the Rotten Vale that isn't an Elder Dragon, the Odogaron looks like the sort of thing you'd expect in a particularly harrowing tale about eastern demons. It certainly has the look of one, with its tail studded with teeth-like spikes, two sets of claws used to lacerate prey, and mouth full of razor-sharp teeth. All on top of a hide that looks like exposed skin. Yup, it's a demon Gorgonopsid, alright. I should also note that I've always been personally unnerved by how it sounds like a psychotic hound on top of everything. It's fierce, it's fast, it was my first major roadblock while playing World. Props to the homicidal slim jim! 8.5/10.

"And yes, they indeed don't care."

Once again, we have small Fanged Wyverns without a leader. And what's worse is that I LIKE the small ones here, so I'm wondering where the big guy went off to even more. The Wulgs occupy Hoarfrost Reach, and the best way to describe them is "badger wolves". With scythe-like spurs on their front legs. And they can coil around hunters. Yeah, these guys don't let their smallness get in the way of being proficient predators. Should they ever come back, I NEED to see a Great Wulg. It would be awesome, I know it! 7/10.

"Samur-aye aye aye"

The flagship of Rise...how do I feel about Magnamalo? Well, I do like the concept. A massive cat with the horns and fighting style of a dark samurai that produces a deadly purple flame capable of detonating whenever it stays in place for too long. This flame, known as Hellfire, is actually volatile gas produced by the monster's rampant metabolism, and it can be used in a variety of ways. My favorite tactic comes from how the Magnamalo uses its flexible spear-like tail. It can literally wave it around like a wand, summoning homing balls of Hellfire, or even concentrating it all into a quick and huge BLAST of it. The fire itself is based on the Hitodama, which are lights said to surround ghosts in Japanese mythology. But aside from all of that, as well as a pretty cool theme music, Magnamalo isn't really an 8 because I find its design to be maybe just a bit too try-hard and edgy. Plus, it doesn't really affect the plot as much as it would like to say it does. 7/10.

"AH! A wild furry!"

At first, the Lunagaron appears to be totally unimpressive. It's literally just a big wolf with scaly armor and ice powers...until it gets mad. Then, its armor violently extends, it covers its claws and hide with ice, and it rears up on its hind legs. Suddenly, you realize in what way this thing was based on the myth of the werewolf. There's a world of a difference between how striking the Lunagaron is in its base mode and its empowered form, which can slice you to pieces with lightning fast claw strikes. For that, the big dog avoids being average in a big way! 7.5/10.

Well folks, we're on our way to reaching the end here. Our final part will cover the most powerful monsters of all...the Elder Dragons.

Index:

Herbivores

Neopterons, Carapaceans, Temnocerans

Bird Wyverns

Flying Wyverns

Piscine Wyverns, Amphibians, Leviathans

Brute Wyverns

Fanged Beasts, Fanged Wyverns

Elder Dragons

[googleitlol]

This is a fun one, hehehe

I'm feeling a whole lot better now, so I don't wanna waste anymore time. Especially with how fun this one is >:D

Dove Masterlist:

Treasures

You sit with your back to a rocky prison, watching the sky from your spot on the ground. Around an hour has past since you found Sun Wukong trapped under this cluster of mountains, and the two of you are nowhere in terms of getting him out.

You keep his free hand in yours, an effort to comfort him and use your gift when needed. “You lost some blood, right? Do you think if I healed you, you would have the strength to free yourself?”

“I’m not sure.” He admits, humming a bit in thought. “Even if I could, I would have to leave you unprotected while I go find Master and the others. You’d be easy pickings for any demon, a wild animal, even.”

A huff escapes your lungs, it feels like you are out of ideas at this point. “If we can’t think of anything else, it might be worth the risk.” “No.” He frowns, holding onto your hand a bit tighter than before. “I said even if I could. If I’m still not strong enough, you would be unconscious and I would still be stuck, just staring at your corpse.”

You roll your eyes at his dramatics. “I wouldn’t die.”

“You look dead every time you do it.” He grumbles, and you feel your shoulders slump back as you try thinking of what to do next. You still think it would be worth a shot to try and give him that extra bout of strength to lift the mountain, but from the sound of it, you will have a hard time convincing him.

While you go through other options in your head, you notice Sun Wukong quickly lifts his head up. His eyes snap towards something in the treeline, his gaze narrowing. “What is it?” You frown, trying to follow his line of sight. As far as you can see, there is nothing there, but you know better than to doubt the monkey demon’s senses.

“We’re not alone.” His voice is low, and you glance back in the direction his eyes are set on. With the two of you silent, you find that you can hear whispering.

“Hello? Who’s out there?” You call out into the wilderness, and the voices quickly hush one another before going silent.

Taking your bow in hand, you nock an arrow and rise to your feet. “Show yourself.” You glare, ready for the slightest hint of movement.

You take aim once you spot an unnaturally pale figure emerging from behind a tree, her arms raised in defence. “Please, do not attack!” She appears to have a sort of glow around her, it masks the two other figures behind her until they stick their heads out from behind her.

“We are here to help.” One from behind squeaks, eyeing your bow warily.

You frown, looking between the three newcomers. “Who are you?”

The third stranger steps forward. “We are the gods of these mountains.” He explains, gesturing to the cluster pinning down your friend. “We are deeply sorry we allowed the Silver-Horned Demon to summon our mountains here to impede you.”

You lower your bow at his words, the first god speaking up again. “None of us want to stay here, we only wish to return our mountains home.” “You can do that?” You ask, returning the arrow to its quiver.

The third one gives a nervous smile. “Yes, it’s just…” He trails off, the three deities all turning their attention to the trapped Monkey King.

He looks at each of them, his glare hardening. “What?!” They all flinch at his question, answering it for you. They are terrified of what he might do to them, knowing they let the demon summon their mountains here. It is a justifiable fear, knowing Wukong.

Realising their dilemma, you sigh. “There is no need to be afraid. I promise, the Monkey King will not hurt any of you as long as you help us.”

“Who says I won’t?” He frowns, looking almost offended. “You let that demon drop your mountains on me!”

You quickly crouch down before he can say more, flicking his head and earning a glare from the sage yourself. “And now they are offering to help. So you will not hurt them, right?” You give him a side-eye look while smiling to the mountain gods, silently praying his words won’t send them running.

He looks back up at you, annoyance clear in his eyes, before groaning. “���I promise not to hurt any of you.” He grumbles, and you reach for his hand to give a gentle squeeze in thanks. It’s enough to get a small smile from the monkey demon.

With their safety assured, the three deities come closer, reciting a spell as they face each of their mountains. It takes time, but you are able to watch nonetheless as each mountain rises into the air one by one, vanishing without a trace. 

When the third and final one lifts, Sun Wukong is quick to jump away from his prison. He nearly knocks you over with how swiftly he moves, the demon panting heavily once he is freed from the great land masses.

You quickly grab him by his forearms, using your gift to calm his nerves. “Are you alright?”

It takes him a moment to answer, a smile growing over his features as he nods and holds your arms as well. “I am… I'm fine.”

With his confirmation, you smile. Letting go, you turn back to the three deities. “Thank you, all of you. We are both extremely grateful, aren’t we?” You glance back at the Monkey King, his gaze hardening once he looks to the three owners of the mountains.

You shoulder him a bit, and he is able to let out a grunted, “Yes.”

His grumpy tone doesn’t last much longer as he spots something from the corner of his eye. He whips around, spying out westward at something that’s a little too far for you to see. “What is that?” He asks aloud, only confusing you more with his sudden interest.

“What?” Straining to look, you notice two figures on the path ahead, though you are unable to make out any detail other than that.

The mountain gods peek out from behind you, the second one answering the both of you. “Underlings of the demon brothers who rule this region, the Gold and Silver-Horned Demons.”

Wukong furrows his brows, you can practically see the thoughts racing from his eyes alone. “What is that glow around them?” He asks, making you frown. What glow?

“It looks to be two of the brother’s five treasures.” The first deity answers, and Wukong looks back at her with wide eyes.

“…Treasures?”

You don’t like the look in his eyes as she answers. “Yes, the brother’s are known for the five treasures they possess, each greater than the last and with their own fantastic abilities.”

The monkey demon smirks. “You don’t say?”

“Monkey…” You frown, crossing your arms. Now is not the time to get distracted.

He chuckles at your warning tone, shrugging casually to feign obliviousness. “What?”

“Whatever it is you are thinking, we don’t have time for it.” You cross your arms. Those demon brothers likely have the others by now, and you can’t be sure how much time they have left.

Wukong gives you a pleading look. “You heard the mountain gods, five treasures? There are five of us– as long as you don’t count the horse– we can all have a magical treasure for ourselves!” He reasons, gesturing down to the demons carrying whatever glowing artefacts Monkey is so keen on retrieving.

“We don’t need any treasures.” You shake your head.

“Each with fantastical abilities?!” Wukong repeats the mountain god's words. “Think how much easier this journey would be if we had tools to help us against any adversaries we met on the way?”

You groan a bit in annoyance at his persistence. He isn’t entirely wrong, but with your friend’s lives on the line, you can’t waste any time. “Wukong, it will only distract us from saving the others!”

“If these brothers sent their lackeys to finish us off, it likely means they want all of us dealt with so they can enjoy their meal peacefully.” He reasons. “That means as long as we avoid getting caught, nothing will happen to Master or my brothers!”

You give him a pointed look at that, resting your hands on your hips. His reasoning, however likely it may be, is still questionable. He may be right, but what if he isn’t?

Seeing your glare, Sun Wukong sighs. “Please, Dove? Just these two treasures at least, they’re on their way already.” He takes your hands in his, his eyes practically pleading.

“I swear to you if we do this, I will never call you Squab again. I can call you by another equally embarrassing name, instead!” He grins, and you feel your stomach drop when his gaze starts to trail off in thought. “Dovey? Bird-Brain? Ooh, how about Love-Dove? It rhymes.”

His rambling is enough for you to step away, making him let go of your hands so you can hide your warming face. “Dove is fine, Monkey.” You turn away for a moment, feeling your embarrassment show on your cheeks. It is only made worse by the sound of his chuckling reaching your ears, the sound of his amusement clear.

Despite his teasing, you consider his words. If those two demons are on their way from whatever home these brothers are in, you will cross paths with them anyway. Maybe you could even use these so-called treasures to defeat them and save the others. Not to mention, Wukong must be itching to have some form of revenge for being trapped under those mountains.

“…Alright, but we should make this quick.” You sigh, turning back around to see the monkey demon immediately brighten at your agreement. Before he can run off to begin whatever scheme he has to steal from the demons, you go back to address the mountain gods. “Thank you for all your help. Please, have safe travels back to your homes.” The first deity smiles, but is interrupted by Wukong before she can speak. “Wait! Before you go, I have one more favour to ask of you.” The three look between one another, uncertainty crossing each of their faces.

“Y-Yes?”

~~~~

The two demons holding the treasures grow closer to your hiding spot just off the side of the path, concealed by the flora of the forest. Wukong had asked you to wait there for him while he took care of something. Part of you feels somewhat anxious to find out what that ‘something’ is, though the mischievous grin on his face when he left made one thing clear: he’s going to have fun with it.

It would be a lie to say you aren’t curious, maybe even a little excited to see where this might go. Luckily, your wait is put to an end when the Monkey King rejoins you, jumping down from a tree to spy on the demons with you.

“Well?” You look over at him from the corner of your eye while your simian friend hands you an empty gourd.

His smile is wide, the twinkle in his eye giving you an idea of how excited he really is for this. “I present to you, a treasure all our own.”

You look down to inspect the object, not finding anything too special about the gourd. What does he plan to do with it? “Do you plan to trade their actual enchanted items with… this?”

“You catch on quick.” He winks, peeking out to check just how close the demons are getting.

Holding up the gourd, you frown. “You think they will trade whatever they have for some gourd?”

“For a gourd that can suck up all of heaven? Of course!” He looks back at you, his claim making you scoff in disbelief.

All of heaven? “How do you plan on pulling that off?” You ask, peeking inside the empty container while Sun Wukong changes his appearance.

He shifts into an elderly man, tucking away his tail and giving you a pat on the shoulder. “Just help me upsell this ruse by holding it, okay? Your… whatever you want to call it should make them think it’s magical. Oh, and take this.”

The disguised monkey demon tosses you a walking stick, which you easily catch. “For what?”

“You need it to walk these long treks, old man.” He snickers, and your brows furrow for a moment before noticing the wrinkles on your hand holding the stick. Did he– You look at your aged arms, reach up to feel the lines on your face, and catch the impish look on Monkey’s face.

Of course, both of you are old men for this hustle. Rolling your eyes, you join your partner in crime as he leads you to the path. “Oh– and don’t panic when the sky goes dark.”

What?

You have no time to question him before the two demons spot you on the path. “You, there!”

Wukong nudges your arm as the two of you turn to face the approaching demons. “Show time.” He mumbles under his breath before addressing the newcomers. “Hello, there! Fine day we are having, aren’t we?”

The two demons glare down at Sun Wukong’s hunched posture, seemingly in no mood to be as friendly as he presents himself to be. Each holds a different item; a vase and another gourd. “Who are you two? There are no human settlements anywhere near this area.”

“Oh, allow me to introduce myself.” Wukong smiles. “I am Chan, and this is my brother Ruon-Jian. We are daoists returning home after a long day, I suppose we just found ourselves turned around at some point.”

“Is that so?” The demon holding the vase frowns. He narrows his gaze at you, looking down at the gourd in your hands. It seems that Wukong was right, he must assume the aura of your gift is coming from the faux treasure. “Tell me, what is it you are carrying?” He asks, the second demon looking over with curiosity written over his expression.

You hold the gourd out, inspecting it yourself with a hum before looking at the two demons. “If you tell me what you two are holding onto, I will do the same for you.” You smile innocently, the two demons looking to one another before giving an unworried shrug.

The one holding the gourd speaks first. “These two items belong to our masters, the Gold and Silver-Horned demons. This vase and gourd work in the same manner.” He gestures to the treasure his demon ally carries before his own as he explains. “The one holding the item must call out their enemy’s name. If they answer your call, they will be sucked into the vase or gourd where they will then dissolve almost as quickly as they went in.”

‘Chan’ gawks a bit, letting out a roar of laughter. “Incredible! Although, I suppose your enemy must be foolish enough to answer you for it to work. That is not as nearly as special as our gourd.”

“Really?” The demon holding the vase huffs.

“Indeed.” You nod, stepping forward with your walking stick and holding up the gourd. “Our treasure is so powerful, it can suck up all of heaven.”

The two demons go silent at your claim, looking between the two of you, then the gourd, and then back to the two of you. After a moment, the demon with the gourd laughs. “You must be joking! Do you expect us to believe something as nonsensical as that?”

“You do not believe us?” ‘Chan’ scoffs, looking to you. ��Ruon-Jian, they don’t believe us.”

“They don’t, huh?” You huff, shaking your head with mock-disappointment. “Let them live with their disbelief. They can have fun with their adorable little trinkets while we watch the Jade Emperor curse us out from his tiny prison.” Wukong snickers at your words.

“His angry little screams always get a good chuckle out of me.” He nods, the two demons looking between the two of you with concern now, maybe a little put off.

The one with the gourd frowns. “Why should we believe you?”

‘Chan’ perks up at that, stepping closer to you with a faux-annoyed huff. “What, do you want proof?” He asks, opening up the gourd in your hands. At his words, the sky starts to darken, a curtain of shadows rapidly expanding from one horizon to the other. You look up in shock as all traces of light from above vanish, leaving only darkness in its place. He actually did it?!

The two demons shout out in a panic before a small yet thundering voice echoes from the gourd in your hand. “What? What is the meaning of this?!” You hear Wukong snicker from next to you, and you do your best to hold in your own laughter. Is this his impression of the Jade Emperor?! “Do not tell me, are we in the gourd of those infuriating brothers?! Chan! Ruon-Jian!”

You can’t help but cackle at the shouting, and soon the sky returns to its natural state with the darkness lifting from above. Just to add to the effect, you give the gourd a good few taps on its side, as if to make sure everything got out before closing it. You aren’t entirely sure what Wukong did, but it definitely worked.

“Do you want any more proof than that? Maybe we could do it again, and give you a peek inside.” You tease, shaking the container with a smirk when you see how they are practically shaking.

Their response is almost immediate. “No, please! Do not do that again!”

“Do you find this amusing?!” The other one stares at the two of you, slack-jawed as you both try your best to conceal your giggling. “Who would entrust such a powerful artefact with the likes of you??”

Wukong rolls his eyes at their whining. “If the two of you have such an issue with the two of us keeping this gourd, would you be interested in keeping it?”

“You would hand it over to us?” The one with the vase gives you a weary look. He flinches as you carelessly wave the gourd around while answering. “In all honesty, this same-old trick is beginning to bore my brother and I.” You sigh before turning to your so-called sibling. “Say, watching our enemies dissolve would be rather fun. Don’t you think so, Chan?”

“I do, Ruon-Jian.” He nods, and the two of you look expectantly to the demons.

The one with the gourd is quick to respond. “If it means you don’t do that again, take them!” He shouts, handing you his treasure, quickly followed by his companion who hands ‘Chan’ the vase.

You hand the demon your gourd, the worry quickly settling on his face once it's in his hands. It only lasts for a few seconds before he frowns. “Wait a minute…” He looks between you and the gourd, confusion digging deeper into his features as he realises whatever aura he thought was coming from the item was really your own.

“It has been a pleasure doing business with you, really, it has…” You hum, tossing your walking stick to the side. Wukong grins as he hands the vase over for you to hold and undoes the magic of your disguises.

“It’s the monkey and the girl!”

Wukong wraps an arm around your waist, grabbing his staff from his ear with his other hand. “…But we should be on our way now!” You share your friend’s smile before he launches the two of you into the sky with his staff.

You’re unable to stop the laughter that bubbles out from your chest when you see the dumbfounded looks on the demon’s faces. Though, it’s difficult to hear your own voice over Wukong’s cackling. The two of you fly past the clouds, landing on the sage’s own somersault cloud and falling back in amusement over your con.

You land on your side holding onto the treasures tight, your friend on his back while breathing in deep in an attempt to calm himself down. A few more giggles escape your own lips before you can pull yourself together enough to sit up.

Wukong follows your lead and sits up, wiping a tear from his eye. “Oh, that was amazing! That improvisation about the Jade Emperor…” He laughs, shaking his head.

You shift to face him better, eyes wide with puzzlement. “Was that you impersonating him in the gourd?!”

“Slipped a duplicate into it after it got dark, I couldn’t let that idea of yours go to waste.” He winks, the pride on his face over the ploy nearly enough to send you into another fit of giggles.

Your hand reaches up to cradle your temple, still overwhelmed by how Wukong’s trick left you almost as perplexed as the demons you left in the dust. “I can’t believe it! How did you do that– with the sky going dark?”

As you ask, a few stray black feathers flutter down from above, whatever animal it came from nowhere in sight. “I had those mountain gods call in a favour for me.” He explains, catching a feather and tucking it behind your ear with a smile. “Prince Nezha was happy to help with the ruse.”

You return the smile. Whether or not you want to admit it to yourself, that was actually pretty fun. It’s easy to see why Sun Wukong finds so much enjoyment in pulling stunts like this. The bafflement on those demon underling’s faces were absolutely priceless!

“Are the vase and gourd alright?” Your friend asks, taking the gourd to inspect it while you do the same to the vase.

Finding no cracks, breaks, or other imperfections, you nod. “Just fine… hey.” You watch through a break in the clouds, the demons you left on the path racing westward. It seems as though following through with the Monkey King’s impulse for valuables paid off after all.

Wukong follows your line of sight while you think aloud. “They must be returning to their home. If we follow them, we can find the others.”

“And maybe the rest of their sacred treasures.”

“…”

“What?”

All you find yourself able to do is roll your eyes in playful annoyance.

[midnight--sadness]

Inho and Gihun taking the kids to the zoo 🦒🦥🦛🦩🦓🦙🐘🦍🐆🐅

You already know Subong and Semi would constantly point at the monkeys telling each other "That's you." (they do the same when flipping through comic bookd and seeing an ugly monster creature sksksjdjksk).

vniencnwmnfecjcfijr they would!! 😭😭

a zoo afternoon would be so cute tho!

daeho's favorites are the tigers obviously, and saebyeok likes the panthers and other more uncommon felines.

junhee likes the elephants and other large mammals, and gayeong also loves them so they usually go everywhere together. i think junhee would be an animal lover so she keeps giving gayeong some animal facts.

subong, semi and minsu go together to see the apes and minsu is regretting going with them when they insulting each other. subong seems like type to think of antagonizing the gorillas but semi seems how stressed out minsu is so she stops subong.

jiyeong likes the snakes and crocodiles and spiders. cheol goes with her so he can get over his fear of them. it works too well and cheol spends weeks trying to convince gihun and inho to let him get a snake.

gihun and inho like everything so they take a lap around the zoo. gihun likes the wolves and inho is particular to the bears, which gihun says is because they are alike.

all of the kids insist on getting something from the gift shop and inho's credit card once again takes a heavy blow when they all decide to take a plushie home.

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

Hello! I wanted to start off by saying thank you for your digitigrade humanoid references, they've been super helpful for drawing my sheep-satyr oc!

I was wondering though, do you have any resources for writing nonhuman creatures? Specifically when referencing the nonhuman aspects of them. For example I have this sentence that goes:

"I jumped to my hooves."

I don't have any frame of reference for this :/ so when I'm writing my oc talking about what she does with the sheep half of her body it sounds kind of off.

I looked on Youtube and online and just saw "Do some world building and give your nonhuman characters human traits," which isn't what I'm looking for.

Kindest Regards-

oh I am doing so much of this in my own writing. I think the trickiest part for me is that I'm trying to also add in the detail that most of the people species don't smile the way humans do, with exposed teeth and a wide mouth being more of a fear/threat response rather than a happy expression. so I keep having to force myself to describe happy expressions in different ways! this is quite challenging, for obvious reasons lol.

but beyond that, honestly I like to just focus on using their non-human body parts to help enhance their body language. my porcine orcs and gnomes wiggle their snouts. anyone with large ears can move them as an expressive body part. tails do all sorts of things!

I think using the phrase "I jumped to my hooves" works just fine! it shows the reader that your character has hooves. The hardest part of course is figuring out how to introduce the character's appearance as early as possible to avoid too much confusion. Looking at my own writing, opening on a scene of a gnomish character, I didn't mention her ears until a few paragraphs in, and her hooves didn't get mentioned until several paragraphs after that. I'm still trying to scan through and find where I introduce her snout lol. it's really hard! and sometimes just using illustrations is unfortunately not possible.

But I think as long as you remember to mention different body parts when they're relevant and using them in the general body language, you'll be just fine. A few things I've been doing with this gnomish character include:

mentioning that she catches a pebble between her cloven toes

using her snout as an expressive body part

writing scenes where she needs to have her hooves trimmed because they grow perpetually

writing scenes where she files down her tusks, because she's also a quarter orc and has some recessive genes that cause tusk growth in amab gnomes, so filing her tusks is one part of how I explore her relationship with her body and gender as a trans woman

I also have elves with long monkey-like tails, though I give them tail expression more similar to cats. Teeth can also be an important expressive body part, when applicable! baring sharp canines or moving one's head and mouth in a way that puts a large pair of tusks on full display is a great way to show things like fear, intimidation, or anger.

you can also study the body language of whatever animal you're using for reference, like sheep, and apply those details to the way you describe your character!

here is an article about sheep behaviors for reference!

and a few quotes with non-human body language from my own rough draft:

“K’arik is the one I’m worried for, not myself,” Morianon murmured, flicking his wings nervously. Evarin nodded, wrapping her arm around her husband’s waist. “I’m worried for him too.” They walked in silence, gravel and bark chips crunching under their feet as they made their way up the road. Evarin spread her hoofed toes with every step, willing a stone to catch between them. A cold pebble lodged itself in the crease between her toes just as they turned up the path to her parents’ door.

The stranger bent low, pushing their enormous three-toed feet over the threshold, ducking their head and reaching forward to pull themself inside. “What’s going on?” He-esh squinted and frowned. “Elkha, tell me what’s going on.” He tapped Th’elir’s arm, but she too had been caught by surprise and only mumbled as she tried to explain. Evarin stepped back towards K’arik, eyes wide. She glanced at her mother and saw her own shocked expression mirrored right back. As the stranger grunted and half-crawled through the low door, she saw her father escape the crowd and hurry to join her. “Can you believe—“ he whispered, but Tawei shushed him. The stranger’s body blocked the whole door as they finally fit themself through it and stood up. Even inside, they had to bend their neck to avoid the rafters, towering over the tallest orcs in the room. Four hooved feet, holding a body so heavy they sunk into the packed dirt floor. Legs as tall as a gnome. They wore layers of woven cloth, all green and brown and cedar red in beautiful leafy patterns, draped over their uncanny body that seemed to have two sets of ribs. Their arms were just skinnier versions of their forelegs, Evarin noticed. She could barely see their face in the shadows by the rafters. Morianon could see them better, perched above everyone else. His feathers shivered as the stranger noticed him, catching and holding his gaze. Their mouth was tense, their long ears laid flat against their head. Morianon glanced away and found Evarin’s eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. “Forgive me,” the stranger said, bringing the murmur of the crowd to a dead hush, “for not announcing my arrival ahead of time.” They walked carefully forward, every step remarkably delicate for someone so massive. “I came to deliver my herd’s respects to you, He-esh.” “Oh? Ah, no, I do know you,” He-esh sat up with Th’elir’s help, clearing his throat. “Or perhaps this is an old man’s dying dream. Are you a spirit?” he laughed, “I never thought I’d live to see a centaur enter my village. I suppose it would have to happen on the last day of my life, wouldn’t it?” He smiled up at the centaur and welcomed them forward with an open hand.

Despite the difficulty, Kouto looked oddly chipper for an early morning and sat down in a hurry, tail curling playfully.

“I remember when he was a kid,” Nanji said, shaking his head, “he had a lot of potential. Shame to see him grow up into such a stubborn and angry fellow.” He passed the tray to Jen who set it on the central table. “I hate to blame anyone but him for his change of heart, but we all know it happened after he got married and moved to that other clan up north.” “He was very annoyed that He-esh wanted to die by song instead of the usual orcish tradition,” Mori said, “Kept giving Evarin nasty looks.” He ruffled his feathers and sat a little closer to his wife. “I was too nervous to pay him any mind,” Evarin assured him. Ikar’s irritated gaze had added to the nervousness, she admitted to herself, but it had been among the least of her worries.

Leaving the bedroom, Evarin was momentarily startled by the looming figure of Ikar at the hearth. She had been in such a hurry, she hadn’t noticed him on her way in. He gave her a sideways glance, lightly swirling the cup in his hand. “At’ali’s granddaughter, aren’t you?” he muttered. “That’s right.” Evarin tensed up defensively. Ikar humphed. “You look nothing like as’el. Must take after your father’s side more.” He sipped his drink and went quiet, turning away from her. Evarin’s snout wrinkled and grew hot, but she left the house without another word, shaking off his comment and breathing deep in the fresh air.

[qingyingpocketlirary]

Snapshot 20

He was curious, really. Just what type of person was he, that Heaven seemed quite divided on how they viewed the monkey? According to Ao Guang, he was savage, a ruthless beast with no manners and no etiquette. A brute who took what was not his and acted out with violence and cruelty. And yet, since coming up to Heaven, the monkey, now Warden of the Stables, had not stirred any such trouble. He questioned things, as any newcomer to the Heavens would, he tended the stables well and was never rude when the Ladies of the courts came by. 

He was cheeky, yes, but he was never rude unless others were to him first, and he had far better manners than others he’d had the misfortune of meeting. His aunt seemed to like the monkey, often smiling and chuckling as her attendees whispered of the Warden’s kindness and care towards the horses and to other animals of the heavens. And the young disciple of the Great Sage of Tea seemed utterly delighted to know he was up in Heaven when she had visited, going so far as to ask to visit him when she’d learnt he was there, being found hours later, sat up on the fence gently stroking the face of one of the normally quite boisterous stallions while the Warden stood to the side, carefully working a brush along the creature’s side as the two talked like old friends.

So yes, he was quite curious about this monkey, and so, he allowed himself to linger as he walked the heavenly gardens and wandered close to the stables as he walked with his hound. Hoping that today he might be so lucky as to learn more about him and just why Heaven was all a twitter and gossip about him.

A conversation caught his attention.

“Steady, steady girl.” A female voice, the very disciple he had just been thinking of not a moment ago in fact, assured as a horse knickered, brayed and huffed, clearly agitated. “It’s alright. Nothing to fear, just a bucket of oats, see? Nothing bad.” More huffing, knickering and braying, the sound of a bucket being shook and then a moment of quiet before the horse seemed to calm. 

“You say it was her back left hoof?” Another voice questioned, this one he did not recognize and so logically, it must be that of the Warden.

“Yes. The Lady said that she lifts it often and has for the last four days, the Lady who owns this little horse is worried of an unseen injury.” Another voice, one he did recognize as that of Nezha, explained. “Her people can’t seem to find the problem, and she’s not let anyone near her to check since yesterday. The Lady heard you were good with the horses and insisted I bring her to you.”

“Hm, I shall see what I can do. Try to keep her attention Chi Yue.” The Warden said.

“I’ll try.” the disciple assured.

He moved towards the voices, keeping himself hidden and silently hushing his hound as they came upon the three he’d heard talking.

Nezha was there, holding the reins and gently stroking the long face of a celestial horse, a young mare only a year or two old, a beautiful shimmering coat of pale silvery white with a main of glorious pearl blues and pink. The child god was speaking soft assurances while Chi Yue stood in front of the beast,  a bucket of oats in one arm while the other gently coaxed the creature to eat from the bucket with gentle strokes and soft words. Dressed in a red robe that was just a little too long on his arms, the Warden stood to the side of the beast, carefully coaxing the young mare’s left rear hoof up from the ground and inspected it.

“Where is this one kept?” The monkey asked, using his claws to clean out the loose mud and stones to better inspect the hoof, keeping his hold gentle as the mare fidgeted and knickered. He let her hoof go and gently rubbed at her side. “Easy, easy girl. I'm not going to hurt you. Just looking, that’s all.” He assured and after a moment the beast calmed and returned to the bucket of oats Chi Yue was shaking.

“The back pasture of the Lady’s home, roughly twenty acres with trees, wild flowers and some low bushes, fresh water every day from a natural stream and fresh feed every day.” Nezha explained, gently stroking the mare’s face to help calm her. 

After shaking itself off, the horse huffed and began to eat from the bucket again.

“And her stable? What is its condition?” The Warden asked, coaxing her hoof back up and carefully inspecting it, gently squeezing and pressing into it, slowly moving it with tender care.

“Wooden structure with smoothed stone floors, coated with soft sand and hay to act as bedding. The stalls are wide enough to fit two horses comfortably, and they are cleaned out every morning after she and the six others the Lady owns are let out to graze. The Lady quite loves her horses, and often spoils them with rare foods at least once a week.”

“The wooden part of the stable, is it fixed with nails?” The monkey questioned after taking another long moment to inspect the mare’s foot. Nezha paused, thinking on the matter.

“I think it is, yes, why?”

The Warden didn’t answer, instead, took a firmer hold of the mare’s hoof and then, with his sharp claws, pulled something from the hoof and quickly backed up as the mare gave a rumble and tried to kick out at him. “I know, I know. It's alright now, no more.” He assured and stroked down the young mare’s face. “It’s over now.”

“What was- Oh heavens.” Nezha said as the Warden held up what he had pulled from the horse’s hoof. Part of what had once been a long nail, had it ot been broken already, no doubt it would have drawn blood from the beast.

“You poor dear,” Chi Yue said, softly rubbing the horse’s forehead. “It's okay now.”

 “That was in her hoof?” Nezha asked, looking at the nail and then at the mare’s hoof. “How did she walk on that?”

“Horses are good at hiding their pain, it happens sometimes, even with the best care.” The monkey said to Nezha, putting the broken nail into his robe to dispose of later. “It had not breached the flesh, thankfully, so she will not need treatment beyond a few days of rest to realise she no longer has pain in that foot.” 

“I would suggest you advise this Lady to rebuild her stable using a nailless technique to avoid such accidents happening again.” Chi Yue said gently petting the young mare and offering her more oats.

“Nailless?” Nezha repeated.

“Yes, instead of nails, a carpenter can fashion wooden joints that lock into place with a few hammer strikes and if that is not enough, strong rope can be used to better fasten the joints in place.” The red robed monkey explained and cocked his head. “Does Heaven not use such techniques?”

“It is not one I have heard of.” Nezha admitted after a moment. “How do you know of such a method?” 

“I learnt it while under the mentorship of my master. It is a mortal technique but one that has held up throughout time. If you ever have the time, you are welcome to come down to my Mountain and see it for yourself. In the meantime, I am sure the Lady would like her horse back.”

“Indeed. Thank you, Wukong.” Nezha said and led the mare away.

“And you,” the Warden then said and with all the confidence of someone familiar and close to her, lightly poked the tea disciple’s nose. “What brings you here today?”

“Boredom.” The disciple admitted with a smile. “I have completed my lessons, and I have no further business in Heaven for now. So I’m free to do as I wish.”

“So you choose to come to me?” He asked, his eyes full of cheekiness and mischief. “You tell me often Heaven is full of gossiping gaggles. Aren’t you worried you will become a topic of such whispers?” He asked, taking the empty oats bucket from her and leading her back towards the Stables.

“Nothing I haven’t heard before. I’m a Mortal born Goddess, Wukong, that alone means the Ladies of Heaven look down on me.” Chi Yue reminded and Wukong, he memorised that name for later, huffed. “It's why I prefer being down there, amongst the people who will at least tell me to my face they dislike me, rather than pretending they care just to save face with her Highness. Plus, down there, I get to see you and all my other friends without worrying if someone is listening in or reporting back my every move to someone.”

“Well, the Empress is not one to cross, I mean, she’s the wife of the most powerful man in all the Realms, so she’s got to be the strongest woman. I doubt anyone would be so foolish as to openly speak ill of you where she could hear.” Wukong said and whatever Chi Yue said in answer was lost as they were beyond his hearing.

He had some answers, but now he also found himself with more questions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Art used is from the LMK Fandom wiki site under Gallary on Wukong's page credited to the 80039 The Hevenly Realms set. but i belieev the actual artist is Xiaodong Wen (please correct me if I am wrong.)

Enjoy!!!!!

[centuryberry]

I've seen many of your AUs of Queen of The Mountain and I couldn't help but ask myself over this possible AU: What if Sangshen, after giving birth, goes through something like postpartum anxiety and after a few choice words callously said by her in-laws that trigger a massive fight or flight response, runs away with newborn! Yue in tow?

I don't know how Yue's birth went in specific terms, but what if after several days of resting and visits from the Zodiac Clan members, Sangshen was exhausted in more ways than just physical and starts secretly freaking out over her daughter's future due to the stress of having given birth, which escalates to the point of just planning to running away from the clan to protect Yue from their callous schemes? And what puts her impulsive plan to action was when one of the Zodiac Clan members (her father-in-law) makes a snide remark about how Yue would do for future plans, going as far as to decide how much use she'll be for the Clan in front of her mother? Those words alone were enough to convince an addled Sangshen to run away with Yue as soon as she's able to.

When she was deemed fit to be fully recovered, she secretly packs a small bag of essentials and in the middle of the night when she knew everyone was sound asleep, she snuck out of the compound and just ran off and would use what abilities she had to keep herself and Yue hidden out of fear of being followed, tracked or hunted, and she didn't stop traveling until she got to FFM.

She hid amongst humans and raised Yue as best as she could until she learned about FFM, the monkeys that live there and the paradise it was. Hoping they would take her in, she decided to move herself and Yue there. But it was around that time she got sick.

While she managed to get into FFM territory without raising suspicion (in her mind, but realizes her mistake soon after), her illness gets worse and while she tries to be strong and withstand the worst of it, she soon realizes she's dying and to protect Yue, she warns her to stay away from her body because animals would be attracted to her corpse and she needs to keep away from them.

Yue understands as best as she could at her age and tries to keep away, both from her dying mother (which she's really reluctant to do) and from the monkeys with weapons she saw searching nearby.

Eventually, General Beng finds her. Being a father himself, he has no problem letting Yue know he means no harm. It wasn't until he asks her why she was all by herself in the forest that she tells him that she has to stay or animals would come (she tries to explain what her mother told her to do, but she could only manage to say that). She even pulls him in the direction where her mother is, telling him she couldn't go there, which he took as a means to investigate, by which he finds her mother, not dead, but barely conscious. He immediately sends out an emergency signal and keeps Yue close to him as Wukong and Macaque show up before anyone else. He explains the situation to them as the other soldiers get Sangshen to the infirmary. At Yue's protests at her mother being taken away, the three monkeys follow after while Beng looks over Yue with what medical knowledge he knows.

Sangshen wakes up in a bed, feeling just slightly better, but nonetheless still dying, with her daughter passed out next to her. Because she was too weak from her illness, she didn't have enough strength to keep her glamours up, so when Wukong and Macaque arrive for questioning, her ears are exposed. This, of course, catches Macaque off guard enough for his glamours to flicker, just so that Sangshen notices. That's how she ends up reuniting with her brother for the first time. She explains her story as much as she was able to, with her daughter waking up and immediately clinging to her as she talked with Wukong and Macaque.

With what medical attention was available, Sangshen manages to live bedridden for almost two weeks until she eventually passes away peacefully. During this time, she got to know her brother and a select few monkeys, other than Wukong, just enough to entrust them with her daughter's care along with telling Macaque and Yue both how grateful she was to have them in her life and how much she loved them.

Yue knew that her mother was dying and, at first, seemed to have accepted it, but she was unable to stop crying when she got the news that she died in her sleep. Both she and Macaque grieved her loss while Wukong arranged for a simple funeral, choosing to have Sangshen buried at a place she liked when she was able to move on her own.

It was a painful time, but it was after the burial that Yue was approached with the offer of staying on FFM, by Wukong and Macaque. Even though she had barely known them, she knew that she trusted them, especially since she overheard her mother asking Wukong and Macaque to look after Yue when she was gone.

I know this idea is a lot more sad than I thought it would be, but I think it makes for a good AU for if Yue wasn't abandoned but had run away with her mother.

What do you think? I'd like to hear your thoughts about it.

My AUs never have Sangshen escaping on her own no matter how anxious she gets over Yue’s safety (believe me, if she could she would) because of her weak body. Without someone’s help, she wouldn’t make it half way before collapsing and dying. And that doesn’t even cover how Yishan would catch her before she even got too far. Sangshen knows all of this and never takes the risk since it would spell a certain death for Yue too.

I also try to avoid any AU scenarios that has Sangshen go through all that effort to escape and go to FFM only to die. It’s just cruel for her and Macaque. They’re already so tragic. For Macaque, he discovers he’s no longer alone but loses that same family. It’s like dangling something so important in front of him only to have it snatched away. It’s also just too sad for Sangshen. She already suffered so much during her time as a slave. I don’t like putting her character in more pain than necessary, especially not to give Yue (and Macaque) a new flavor of trauma.

[illarian-rambling]

Thanks for the tag @mysticstarlightduck!

OC Deep Dive 🦾🎀

Let's do a two for one with Astra and Mashal :)

What uncommon/common fear do they have?

Hm, that's a tough one. Astra doesn't scare easily when it comes to physical things. I'd say failure is a big fear of hers, or letting down the people she loves.

It's bugs. Ignoring all the existential stuff, Mashal is terrified of bugs. Spiders especially, but anything that crawls makes him uncomfortable. The other big one is losing his humanity.

Do they have any pet peeves?

People who talk down to her will set Astra off like a firecracker. She's had more than enough of that in her time. People who are willing ignorant also piss her off, especially if that ignorance hurts others.

As a former army brat, Mashal does get a little tetchy around messy spaces. He won't get on people about it, but he will clean up unprompted. He also can't stand bullies or anyone who hurts people for their own gain.

What are 3 items you can find in their bedroom?

A full chemistry set, lots of scrap fabric, and way too many fancy pillows.

He doesn't sleep, so he doesn't have a bedroom, but if he did, it would have a sketchbook, some candles he can stare at while meditating, and a few practice swords hung on the wall.

What do they notice first in a person?

Their clothes, I'd say. Astra can tell a lot about a person by what they wear and how they care for their garments. Also, their sense of fashion can be telling.

I think as an artist, Mashal picks up on unique features first. A crooked jaw, especially beautiful eyes, an unusual expression - anything that makes someone stand out. Consequently, he's also just good at remembering faces in general.

On a scale of 1 to 10, how high is their pain tolerance?

A six, but she thinks it's a nine. She also carries the fantasy equivalent of those berserker mushrooms at all times, so if she's hurt, she'll do drugs about it and keep going.

He has no sense of pain as a robot, but if he's ever returned to his human form, it's gonna be a rude awakening the first time he stubs his toe on something.

Do they go into fight or flight mode when under pressure? (I'm also including freeze and fawn)

It kinda depends. If her friends are with her, she'll tend towards fight. If she's alone though, she often freezes up.

Fight, all the way. In moments of stress, Mashal's brain will all but shut off as he starts swinging.

Do they come from a big family/are they a family person?

Astra's family is just her and her two moms, but she loves them dearly. Every cent she makes goes towards paying off their debtor contracts, and she writes them frequently.

Mashal doesn't remember his family. He assumes his parents are alive and he's pretty sure he has an older brother, but anything more than that is a mystery. He hopes to find them someday once he's human again.

What animal represents them best?

I'm tempted to go with a black cat solely because she's a witch, but I feel like she's more high energy than that. In that case, maybe some sort of monkey? Clever, curious, loud, and a little vicious.

A horse, I think. Some sort of retired warhorse that likes to run and nuzzle your hair, but will kick if you get too close.

What is a smell that they dislike?

Formaldehyde. It gives her headaches.

He has no sense of smell :(

Have they broken any bones?

Yup. She broke her arm at the end of book one and has broken a few fingers in the past when she wasn't careful enough with her tinkering.

He has no bones :(

(Mashal doesn't remember, but as a boy, he did fracture his skull when he fell down a flight of stairs. He also broke the same ankle twice during sparring. His squad did tease him for this.)

How would a stranger likely describe them?

"Oh gods, what an outfit she had! I don't think I've ever seen that many colors on one garment, and she must've sewn half the ribbons from here to Yewbury into the lining. The embroidery was fantastic. It was loud enough you hardly noticed the woman wearing it. She was pretty short, I think. I wanna say she was mixed Skolander and Shuari, given the dark curls and blue eyes. Her skin was kind of an amber brown, but she had these pale splotches under her eyes and mouth. Vitiligo, I think? Her makeup was also quite loud, but somehow matched the outfit. There was just a lot going on there, in general."

"Damn, I don't think I've ever seen a robot in these parts. The fucker was huge, had to be close to seven feet tall. Kinda scary looking, to be honest, with those glowing white eyes. But, I don't know, he seemed nice. His face didn't seem like it moved much, but he looked like he was smiling. He was wearing very heavy clothing with a bandana over his head. The only bronze uncovered was his face and hands. I would've thought he was sick in the head wearing such heavy clothes in this heat, except, well, I guess a robot wouldn't care about that."

Are they a night owl or an early bird?

Very much a night owl, verging on actual insomnia. Getting up before 11 is a herculean trial.

He doesn't sleep, but if he did, he'd be an early bird. Man is ready for bed at 9:30 sharp.

What is a flavour they hate and a flavour they love?

Astra hates the taste of rice. As a kid, that was basically all she had to eat in the summers and she would frequently come down with pellagra because she was so malnourished. A flavor she loves is barbecue. She's from the fantasy south, so I think this one is self-explanatory.

He has no sense of taste, but from vibes alone, he knows he definitely has a sweet tooth.

Do they have any hobbies?

Really, she's good with any type of fiber art, but Astra loves to embroider. All her clothes sport little bits of embroidery. I'm also going to say magic because she loves it even though it's her job.

Mashal enjoys art, usually with a pencil, but he branches out into paint sometimes. He also likes to read. Any genre is fine, so long as it's fiction and not too dark. I feel like he'd love anime if it existed on Illaros for some reason.

Boom, surprise birthday party! How do they react to surprises?

She'd definitely jump, then complain about why it had to be a secret because she already knew what she wanted to do for her birthday. Even so, she would be very appreciative of the effort.

Mashal has no idea when his birthday is, so it'd be a double surprise for him if someone popped out and declared that today's the day. After making sure they're not just fucking with him, he'd get quite teary (not actually, but the vibe is there), thank them profusely, and spend the rest of the night being told to sit down and quit trying to take care of things, this is your party, damnit!

Do they like to wear jewelry?

Yes. Astra always has some earrings on and frequently wears rings and bracelets. Most of this is costume jewelry.

Gold jewelry is very important in Sulu'Okan culture, so he definitely would, he just can't afford any right now.

Do they have neat or messy handwriting?

Surprisingly neat. She writes in full, founding father cursive.

Surprisingly messy. He tends towards chicken scratch.

What are the two emotions they feel the most?

Indignation and the desire to help.

Protectiveness and fury.

Do they have a favourite fabric?

Astra could rank every fabric ever on a numbered scale, but I think her all-time favorite is satin.

He honestly has no opinion on this, so he'd probably just say satin also. My man doesn't know burlap from chiffon, give him a break.

What kind of accent do they have?

Lol, read any of her dialog and it's obvious. Astra has a strong southern accent, more similar to a Georgia drawl than some Texas twang.

Honestly, Mashal is my one character that I feel has no accent (aka same accent as me), so I guess upper south. He does speak very softly, though, and has a bit of a stutter at times. His voice also tends to go static when he yells.

I'll tag @willtheweaver @theink-stainedfolk @kaylinalexanderbooks @nczaversnick @watermeezer and anyone else who wants to play :)

[kb11rd]

Immediately back kk and omg the way u draw kurosawa reminds me of a shark 🦈 so cute my bad I havent sent an ask lately im still obsessed with crows and I love ur art and writing sm and have been following them but I broke my new phone and am using my old one which means old account again I wanted to wait till I get my new phone back to send an ask but it's gonna take a while to get it back im realising 😩 anyways

S H A R K S

I feel like Bitou Tatsuya is a thresher shark cuz they're long tail stuns fishes It reminds me of his fast kicks also the long tail makes them look so cool, Ryuushin and the armament kinda remind me of blacktip reefsharks since they stay in packs and hunt socially I def have some ideas of the armament members by themselves as different sharks I just can't remember them rn 😭, Bulldog would be a nurse shark I think they're usually docile and friendly while a bull shark for him would be funny theyre just too aggressive unlike him maybe there's a better fitting shark for him but idk any sharks as charismatic as him, Bouya I'm not a 100% sure tbh maybe a mako? A nice classic fast shark that's really nice to look at tbh very cute I would say lemon sharks is another option as they r pretty social and while Bouya is referred to as a lone wolf he def attracts ppl they can be a bit unpredictable like him ofc

Takumi - a hammerhead, pretty, smart

Sakota, Nara Akira, Bandou - Bull sharks, they eat anything, they're seen as more aggressive but that's mostly due to their preferred places being locations where encounter with humans is more likely such as surf zones, rivers and such and if ppl don't know how to act accordingly accidents can happen

Hana-W H A L E SHARK

Amachi - oceanic white tip shark ofc

Guriko and Rinda - Great Whites due to their reputation and how well known and feared they r (tho its not really needed cuz Rinda just chills and only fights guys who hurt his friends or him, and Guriko is too busy chasing tail unless u hurt him, or his numerous gfs he also doesn't really care usually its other characters telling him he has to fight since its his responsibility)

My bad for all the rambling 😭 I have more ideas for sharks might even change my mind on some of the characters I'm not a shark expert or anything I'm just someone who liked sharks a lot as a kid so some stuff could be iffy or even wrong

Haha welcome back!!! Oh yeah I think it's the nose and the fangs hehe, thank you!!

Oh shit lmfao, well I guess the good part is that you're getting a new phone? Hope this one lasts you long!!!

I first read your ask and was like, no, fucking, way. Because what do you know, I actually LOVE to imagine what animals characters could be 😭😭😭😭 I have a WHOLE list that I'll share beneath 🗣️🗣️🗣️🫡🫡🫡☝️☝️ because I did research and you've awaken a beast.

I do not know much about sharks but this was soooo nice, I went and googled each one of them to see what they looked like and nodded along, 'mhm hmm. yeah-eah, it fits, it fits'... You're awesome man I love this kinda thingsssss it's sooo fuuunnn. And you know what? As you were listing I was thinking, well there should definitely be a whale shark in there and Hana got there. And you're right. He IS. God so awesome... Amachi as the white tip shark is reeeaaal too (I looked its behavior up HAHA) and yeaaaah it's real.

Don't worry I understand you, I used to watch animal documentaries all the time after school sooo.... yeah! I don't mind at all 🫡 ! And anyway I've learned new shark species hehe.

Well then, NOW is time for MY rambling 🗣️☝️ ↓

Let's beggiiiinnnn!!! What animals I think the crowsxworst characters would be HEHE.

Some have explanations, others are purely on the vibes and others don't I just thought it'd fit lmfao.

Let's start with Crows !!! :

- Bouya (he's obviously a monkey – pretty biased by the manga? Perhaps. Anyway, it took me some time to find one I liked, couldn't decide on keeping the color, the strength, or the attitude yk, but in the end I went with this one! It's a pretty beautiful baboon too) : Gelada Baboon

- Rindaman : Mandrill (for a monkey fight yk. Bouya and Rinda.... They had to be both simians to me lol. But Mandrill fits. They have striking features and are intimidating. But they're truly pretty chill!!)

- Yasuo : Mountain Weasel (cute,, very very cute,,, lmfao. but isn't defenseless!)

- Makoto : Black Panther (the vibes)

- Pon : Red fox (the vibes too lmfao)

- Hiromi : Serval

- Bandou : Caracal

(I think Bandou and Hiromi are sooo very similar, like Bouya and Rinda so they too had to be from a the same family. So I went with felines!)

- Ryuushin : Black bear (chill, but also pretty dangerous – is intimidating, just meeting one is pretty scary, so it fits!)

- Juuzou : Lion (the mane, the presence...)

- Bitou : White tiger (duh)

- Bulldog : Water Buffalo (also chill but can be dangerous)

- Zetton : Cassowary (always saw him as an avian for some reason. I first went with Heron Goliath but I thought then, 'there are bigger birds out there and Zetton is fucking big...' so I searched for a bigger bird and found one that was, and also had his stupid haircut. So cassowary it is 😛)

- Kousei : Black Ram, Bighorn Sheep species (the vibes. The looks, kinda. And the sociability!!!)

- Jou : Giant Galapagos Turtle (just look at Jou's face and tell me you don't see it)

- Nakajima : Silverback Gorilla (big ass, chill, but will kick your ass if needed)

- Yonezaki : Fossa (I looooove fossas and I think their agility and cleverness fits him a lot.)

- Hideyoshi : Wolverine (Didn't want some kind of dog for him – despite the 'Mad Dog' I know. I wanted something different but still pretty much aggressive. Thought about the honey badger at first, but then the wolverine felt better, well, just in terms of color really. Because it's brown... lol)

- Masa : Dingo (the vibes)

Gunji : Water Monitor Lizard (the vibes too. Ginji's so sly... And he's also pretty clever, and monitor lizards are clever! They use schemes and plans to hunt! And also are considered the most intelligent lizards. It's pretty amazing!!)

That's all I have for Crows (yet, hehe). Now let's go over to Worst !!! :

- Tesshou : Spotted hyena ↓

- Kiyohiro : African wild dog ↓

(Kind of the same as Bandou & Hiromi, I think Tesshou and Kiyohiro's animals should be close. Not necessarily species, but at least environment. And well hyenas and wild dogs do NOT like one another, but this is also what makes it funnier hehe)

- Shougo : Jaguar (the vibes. heh)

- Hana : Musk ox / Bison (couldn't decide. This one is mainly for the vibes. Even though both animals are pretty intimidating, they're also cute? Somehow, to me anyway. I don't think you're exactly scared when you see either of them. Just amazed and curious, they're majestic animals! And, yk, that's exactly Hana's vibes. So yeah! Musk ox or bison for my boy <3)

Sakota : Honey Badger (obviously....)

Renji : Great Horned Owl (this one was tricky, I actually didn't really know but Renji has always seemed like, not a terrestrial mammal to me. Didn't want a fish (though a Barracuda could fit) then thought about owls..... And owls usually represent wiseness etc... They're also really beautiful! And Renji with his amazing hair could work with some of the plumage they have! I chose the great horned owl because it's the most aggressive owl of all so yeah. It's him.)

Tora : Maned Wolf (the maned wolf is ctually quite shy! It mostly stays away from most human interactions, he's a shy animal! Not that Tora exactly is, yk, but he tries not to get into too much trouble (as he can). So it fits!)

Takumi : Red-Headed Dart Frog (cute. beautiful, beautiful frog and seems harmless, but isn't at all)

Amachi : King Cobra or Leopard Seal (I like both. Both are pretty dangerous, dangerous and solitary animals. But leopard seals can be sadistic towards their preys sooo I'm more leaning towards that one!)

Sera : Moose (is chill if you don't piss him off/bother him. They're also clever hehe)

Abo : Tasmanian Devil (see what I did there? Hehe)

Mitsumasa : (White) Bearded Vulture (the vibes. purely. the eyes too.)

Bisuko : Grizzly bear (dangerous. minds his business most of the time unless its hungry or bothered in its territory. So yeah! Bisuko :p)

Chiharu : Walrus (this one was fun to imagine but it does fit! They're pretty territorial and can be quite aggressive!)

Masa & Mary : Killer whales (mainly because they're twins but also because they were terrific in Suzuran!!! I also love killer whales so yeah.)

Aaand that's all for me 🫡🫡 all my rambling has been delivered, thank you for the ask!!!!!!

[lets-try-some-writing]

Had this really cute idea about TFP kids having pets of some kind if they ever do get a chance wanna know what you think!

Jack--- a pigeon- because they're great companions for people who has anxiety or feel lonely ( he probably has the one with small beak and feather covered legs and definitely a female because they're more loving and affectionate and puts her in cute clothes)

Miko--- a bearded dragon (or maybe even a gecko but definitely some lizard animal)- they're puppies with scales very energetic, weird and has fun personality and moves their head to music ( definitely dress it up and named it after a slash monkey member)

Raf--- a guinea pig or a rat (but I lean on rat more) - they're very social animals and love their owners very much and very intelligent ( he definitely has two because they has to have a friend. And he always let them climb on him or hides them in his pockets or bag and takes them with him)

And I like to imagine them explaining to the bots that they're not pets but companions/family or even their own children and how much they mean to them or how much of an emotional support they were to them!

And definitely found an excuse/reason to bring them to base!

And the bots reaction are like:

Ratchet wants them immediately out the base but get gaslighted into letting them stay for a day one the condition that they stay away from his work place ( Miko doesn't comply)

Optimus would be curious about them since he haven't seen them so close and would want to learn more about them and how they behave completely different and seems to understand their owners

Arcee might be more neutral about them saying if the kids are happy then that's it but surely gets interested in seeing how they act and the tricks they do

Bulkhead wouldn't want to be near them because he fears they get in his joints like some scraplets (Ratchet used that to keep him away from his stuff)

Wheeljack( I'm not too sure about him) but would want to see what they're capable of and tries to teach them bad tricks to maybe piss of a certain CMO

Bumblebee/Smokescreen would undoubtedly be amazed at these different animals and be even more impressed by the tricks hey do to the point they'd want one but gets shut down quickly by the whole team because they're too much work

Ultra magnus would just leave simple comment about them and leaves

What's your opinion? Maybe different animals? But these fits them well!

What do I think? Well, since I am unsure if this is a writing request or not, I will give my opinion on what you have presented here. Please feel free to send in another request if you were hoping for writing. I tend to misunderstand things like this more often than not.

Now firstly, this is an adorable idea and I do in fact think the animals fit. I doubt they would have any exotic pets, except perhaps Miko who I could imagine having some sort of parrot due to the intelligence of the species. Aside from that, spot on thinking regarding the animals that would be involved.

Ratchet's reaction is comedy gold I must say. Optimus's makes perfect sense considering his personality, although I also imagine he wouldn't be too fond of the mess or the pets getting into equipment. Arcee's reaction is also pretty solid, however I can see her developing a strange rivalry with Jack's pigeon or Rafael's rodent upon having to assist in collecting the small thing from either the rafters or under work stations. Bulkhead's response is perfect, no commentary there except for that I think it would be hilarious for him to fear Rafael's hamster above all else. I've dealt with hamsters, those little critters can RUN-

For Wheeljack I would alter his reaction only slightly to have him find it funny to watch the pets fail at whatever it is they are attempting. Him staring at the hamster and laughing hysterically when it runs into an object or the pigeon when it inevitably crashes sounds on point for him. You got Smokey and Bee also perfectly on point in my opinion. That sounds about right for them, although Bee I think would be less inclined to get one and more silently encouraging Smokescreen since if Smokey could convince the team to let them have a pet, then great, but I doubt he would want to deal with the glares personally. Ha, yeah Ultra Magnus wouldn't give a crap unless one of the animals touched his stuff. Then I bet he would have WORDS with whoever owned the animal in question.

In conclusion, a very humorous concept indeed.