#I'm not sorry I will make Macaque SUFFER

[frytt-i]

Fun facts about my AU :

About Macaque :

Yuebei Xing had a long period where she hated Macaque but it pissed her off to be angry because he didn't deserve ANYTHING and so she just ignores his existence.

The twins hate Macaque.

Paramita doesn't care about Macaque in general but doesn't trust or like him (he was never told exactly what happened so he decided to do like his sister and ignore his existence).

Sun Wukong avoided talking about Macaque and ignored his existence since JTTW.

Macaque is an attention seeker so he hates that and made things worse.

Macaque was there at each birth of Sun Wukong's children.

He compared himself to the moon after Yuebei Xing's birth.

The uncles of SWK's children :

Yuebei Xing's favorite uncles are Ao Lie and Sha Wujing. She doesn't consider any member of the Brotherhood as her uncles. She used to, but things happened.

She HATES Azure Lion, Peng and Yellowtusk.

Nezha is the favorite uncle of the rest of the siblings. He has a sibling relationship with Sun Wukong but acts a bit like an big brother to them, so he is like their uncle/big brother.

Yuebei Xing considers Nezha more as an big brother than an uncle (because she knew him before his growth spurt).

[miffysrambles]

hey, can i request wukong and macaque (sep) comforting a chubby reader (fem if possible) who often remember her past and the bullying she suffered? like a scenario where they find her looking at the mirror with a bitter face

Wukong and Macaque With a Chubby! Fem! S/O

(I'm plus-sized myself so this hit close to home :'3)

You undressed into your bra and underwear as you had gotten home, gripping the chub on your waist as you looked down at your torso. You had always been a bit chubbier than others and being in public today reminded you of that, you hated these days.  You have felt like this for quite some time now, it’s just something you deal with. But that doesn’t mean the thoughts banging in your head didn’t bother you. They would say things belittling you and your body, saying what you could do to make yourself thinner. You knew these thoughts were caused by real voices from your past, the things they would say to you were deafening as they boomed in your ears. You sighed as you finally looked up to meet your face, a look of pure bitterness and hatred reflected off the glass. You were so focused on your self-loathing that you didn’t notice your monkey boyfriend standing the the doorway of your bedroom.

Wukong:

Wukong had walked into the room with a smile on his face to greet you after being out all day, he was about to walk up to you to give you hugs and kisses when he stopped in his tracks to see you grimacing at your reflection.

His eyebrows furrowed upwards as he slightly parted his lips, “You ok sunshine?”

You jumped as you turned your head to see your partner, putting up a fake smile as you nodded.

“Yep, just getting changed for bed Wukong!”

He knew this was a fake response, he knew your genuine smile like the back of his hand.

The way you practically lit up with a twinkle in your eye, oh it’s something he strived to see daily.

He walked up to you and caressed your face with his thumb, a look of loving concern made your stomach do flips.

“Hey, it’s okay if you’re not. I’m not gonna force you to talk to me, that won’t do any good, but I want to help any way I can.”

You leaned your cheek into his grasp as you sighed, “It’s one of those days… You know, the one’s where my head won’t shut up about my body… Some of the voices are things I’ve heard from old peers and those hurt the most…”

As you described what people have said to you in the past, his heart broke.

How could anybody say such awful things to you, his peaches?

His eyes softened more, smiling slightly to comfort you as he kissed your temple.

“Oh peaches, those days suck huh?”

You nodded, “So much it hurts…”

He wrapped his arms around your waist as he held you close, “I’m sorry they hurt, if it makes a difference I love your body just the way it is. I wouldn’t change a thing about ya’.”

You smiled as you kissed him on the lips, finally getting what he came into the room for, ‘It does, thank you.”

Macaque:

(I have a personal HC that Macaque loves plus-sized/chubby people hehe)

Macaque was following you through your shadow as you arrived home, looking for an opportunity to give you a light surprise as he told you he was gonna be held up at work tonight. 

(He had done this in the past and you both knew it was all good fun).

He was stopped however when you looked at your reflection with a repulsed look, making him back away as your shadow on the wall with a concerned look, rising from a portal in the doorway.

“M-Macaque? I thought you were gonna be home late tonight!” Your frigid voice asked him, you were clearly on the verge of tears.

A mix of concern and understanding was on his face as he approached you, “They let me go early, the play was rescheduled…” 

He took hold of your hands as he looked down at your interlocked fingers, “This isn’t the first time this has happened huh?”

You nodded slightly as he kissed the back of your hands, “Not even close…”

“Do you wanna talk about it?” He asked, not wanting to overstep your boundaries because he knew exposing your feelings takes a lot of mental strength.

“Just voices from my past booming in my head, y’know like run-of-the-mill bullies in school…” You described what you went through as a child, making his eyebrows furrow and his nose scrunch up in anger.

Just knowing you were in pain from other people, even if it was in the past enraged him.

He sighed as calmed down, helping you feel better even if for a second was his top priority.

He trailed soft kisses up your arm to your cheek, “I love your body because it’s you sweet cheeks. I love everything about you, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I know that won’t change the thoughts going through your head but it’s a start right?” He pulled his lips away from your cheek as he smiled, making your cheeks flush as you smiled and laughed at his displays of affection.

He nuzzled his nose into your neck, making you laugh again from the ticklish sensation.

“There she is, that’s my girl." He chuckled as he kissed your cheek once again. 

[estellardreams]

Sometimes the Right Choice isn't the Best One.

[for @purble-turble's Time Travel Red AU and by proxy Demon King Red AU]

Red felt like he was beginning to lose hope.

If this circlet wasn't weighing him down, pressing against his skull, threatening to crush him if he didn't work...

It hurt. No matter what he did, it just seemed to hurt everyone else around him.

... They didn't deserve to have him around. No one did.

And now, he was forced to work for himself, making inventions to help him capture Xiaotian.

Return him to this... Torture.

He knew he couldn't let that happen, but what else could he do?

He'd been stuck here for who knows how long, chipping away at blueprints that were never good enough to the king.

He didn't want to let Xiaotian suffer... Suffer by his own choices.

The choices that led him to this moment.

... Why was he such a disaster?

Red Son groaned, burying his face in his hands, the cuffs clinking against each other.

This was never going to work out and he knew it.

No matter what he did... He was always going to fail everyone.

... He should've taken that offer to return home when he had the chance. Maybe then, he could've fixed everything by now.

But instead, he was kidnapped and reduced to a slave... A prisoner.

Just like Xiaotian.

He wanted to protect him so badly from himself, but why did everything he do always seem to make things worse?

"Hey there, bud. How's your evening going?" Macaque asked, coming up behind him from the shadows.

He leaned over and stared at Red's work, his eyes narrowing.

"... What? I'm guessing it's not good enough, either."

"King Red wouldn't appreciate your backtalk, but you are right. This is... Yeesh. Really bad."

Red winced. He breathed, trying to keep his anxiety steady.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm doing my best."

"It's not good enough."

He shut his eyes. He wanted to disappear badly right about now.

Macaque sighed, holding onto the blueprints. "I'll take this. Make something else."

"O-Of course."

Macaque slipped back into the shadows, leaving Red Son alone in the dark.

His glasses gently fogged over as his cheeks felt wet.

No. No he couldn't cry. Not now, not...

He was so scared.

He deserved this, though.

All of it.

Why would anyone put up with someone like him?

Someone who always made everything worse?

...

Red shakily got out of his seat, stepping away from the desk.

His feet moved unsteady on the stone tile before he collapsed into the corner, wet droplets of tears hitting the ground.

It was so cold...

He was never used to the cold.

He always had this fire, and yet...

He was so burnt out.

Did any of this matter?

... Why couldn't he just disappear already? He had done all he could.

He failed everyone.

He wasn't worth saving.

... He let everyone down.

And there was no one to blame but himself.

At least... The only good thing to come out of this...

Was that he wasn't like the king.

And never would be.

... Then why did this still feel so wrong...?

Was he always destined to turn into the monster he is?

Red remained curled up on the ground, the darkness seemingly cornering him in his space.

The dim candlelight was his only source of company in this desolate place.

That was, until a small ladybug landed on his hand. He sniffled, looking up to see the tiny bug.

He breathed, his voice shaky as he tried to calm himself down.

Red pulled off his tear covered glasses and began to dry them off with his shirt.

"H-hey... You came to visit?" he mumbled, trying to stop his tears as he stared at the blurry ladybug in front of him.

"Thank you... That means a lot, even if you can't exactly... Talk to me."

The ladybug looked like it was watching him. Red breathed.

"Look... I'm sorry. Okay? I... I feel so horrible about all of this. H-How... How I've let everyone down... How I let Xiaotian down... That... That the world feels doomed because I was such an IDIOT in the past."

He huffed, burying his face in his legs. "I never should've gone through with that plan. None of this would've happened. And now, everyone's gonna get hurt because of me. Because I am the problem."

He looked back up at the ladybug, finally fitting his glasses back onto his face.

He pushed back more of his tears before he realized the ladybug had a strange feature.

An auburn brown monkey tail.

He froze, backing up into the corner even further.

"I-I... I didn't know. I... M-Monkey King-"

"Shh!" Wukong hushed, proofing back to normal in an instant.

Red felt himself beginning to tear up, wanting so badly to hug any one of his old allies, but held himself back.

He didn't wanna hurt them anymore than he had.

Red quietly curled back up, his gaze shifting away from the Monkey King. Even now, with his expression unreadable, it felt like he was still glaring down, at him.

Like all those previous times.

Wukong sighed, crouching down to his level.

"Look... I don't trust you. I know none of us trust you, but we still need you around, okay?"

"Why...? Why are you even bothering to come rescue me? Am I just not a nuisance to all of you?"

"Okay, I don't understand why MK decided to bring you in, even after all you did, but I can tell you're important to him. And I'll go with whatever the kid wants. So... If he wants you back, I'll come get you."

Red's eyes widened. "R-Really?"

He huffed. "Yeah. Even if I don't understand why."

Red paused, staring down at the cuffs around his wrists.

He was never gonna make it out of the fortress. He knew that. He had a feeling Wukong wouldn't know how to break these cuffs off, along with the circlet around his head.

If only King Red knew... And it wasn't biometric related, then what chance did he have?

His head throbbed just trying to think of a solution to his problem.

... That meant that the best option was for everyone to leave him behind.

Hope he just... Becomes useless to the king.

At least when he does... He won't be forced to assist in Xiaotian's capture anymore.

It was for the best.

"... You should go." he murmured, his voice shaky and hushed.

Wukong's ears perked up. "Red Son. I came here for you."

"You're more important to Xiaotian than I'll ever be! You need to leave! Now!" Red snapped back, his fire wilting in his desperation.

"Everyone needs you. MK needs you. I might not understand the true reasons why they keep you around or put up with you but I know that MK wouldn't just abandon you. Not after all you did for them."

Red frowned, getting up and trying to push Wukong away. The monkey refused to budge.

"Hey! Quit it! I'm not leaving you! Don't you want to not be hurt by him anymore?!"

"No! It... Its what I deserve! For... For..." Red's voice died down in his throat, feeling himself crumble all over again.

"Being a monster..." he stopped pushing the monkey King, stepping back and hugging himself as he curled back up onto the ground.

Wukong groaned. "Red. Get up. We need to leave."

Red Son couldn't help the tears from falling down his face. He was an absolute mess.

Who would put up with someone like him?

"Stop it. Now get up and let's go."

"N-no..." he whispered weakly, burying his face in his knees again.

The monkey growled, pulling Red to his feet.

"Red Son. Everyone else needs you. We need your help. And I don't know how many times I gotta say it until it gets through your head."

"But-"

"Shut it. Now, are you with me or not?"

Red fell silent, biting his lip as his body began to tremble.

He wanted to leave, wanted to speak up, but the words kept dying at his throat whenever he tried to speak.

Though, from his gaze, Wukong knew exactly what the kid needed.

"I'll break those things off of you the moment we get close enough to the exit, alright?"

"O-Okay..."

The monkey sighed, finally knowing he got through to the demon. "Good. Now let's go."

Red wanted to hold onto Wukong, to have something to keep him grounded so he wouldn't freak out.

But... It felt like too much to ask. Even after all that.

Red hesitantly followed behind Wukong, only to freeze.

Something cold trickled behind him, moving around his body.

He was suddenly yanked back and slammed into the wall, shadowy tendrils shooting out and wrapping around him, keeping him pinned.

He yelped, squirming around. How could he not see this coming?! What was wrong with him?

"Red Son!" Wukong yelled, charging towards the shadows to reach and release the demon.

A shadowed copy flew out from the ground and slammed the Monkey King's body to the ground. Wukong tried to crawl out and force himself free, only for more clones to start forming and pin him down.

They kept his limbs pinned, forcing his face onto the cold tiles. He growled, trying to break himself free.

"Well, look who's back for a visit!" Macaque reappeared sweetly, tossing the blueprints back to the desk.

"No, no! Get away from him! He... He doesn't deserve it!" Red cried out.

"Oh, like you're the one to talk." Macaque shot back.

Wukong's ears pinned down as he grit his teeth, trying to force himself free again. His face was shoved back down onto the tile.

The room began to grow in brightness as a spark erupted into the room. The fire burst out, whisping away to reveal fluffy long red hair and his usual royal attire.

King Red had arrived.

He cracked a smile, noticing the scene unfolding around him.

"Thank you, Macaque. You are doing excellent, as always."

"Yeah yeah. At least I made sure past you isn't going anywhere." Macaque brushed him off.

King Red frowned, not letting himself snap. He shifted his gaze back down to Wukong.

He leaned down to him, tilting up the simian's chin to meet his gaze.

Wukong snarled, the clones keeping him pinned as he glared daggers at the Demon King.

King Red's hand flickered an eerie red glow.

Red's eyes widened at the sight, trying desperately to pry himself free.

"I wouldn't mind having another servant around here." King Red charged up his spell, wisps of red energy swirling around the room. A ring of light began to form before it clasped on tightly.

Wukong bit back a scream, feeling the pain of how tight the circlet was around his head. His body trembled as he desperately reached to grasp and pry at the circlet.

The shadow clones released the monkey, letting him get to his knees and grasp at his head in agony.

King Red couldn't help but smile.

If his first plan wasn't working, then perhaps this one would turn out much more... Efficient than before.

"Thank you for the assistance. You are dismissed." King Red waved Macaque away.

The shadow monkey frowned, closing his eyes. He released Red Son, letting the boy collapse to the ground.

He weakly crawled to his knees, wanting so badly to help free Wukong, but...

He was useless like this.

Just like always.

And now...

The demon king had won. Again.

And all that was needed left... Was his darling. His love.

... Red's fists clenched together.

He... He couldn't let that happen. No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't let it happen.

He shot a scowl at the demon king, who stared down at Red.

"Get back to work. And this time, do it right." with that, the fire whisked him away.

Red quickly diverted his attention to the Monkey King, coming to his side.

"Sun Wukong...?" he softly asked, reaching out to him.

Wukong shot a glare back at him. He sighed, trying to cool himself off.

Red winced, already feeling guilty.

... He should've agreed to run sooner. At least then, they would've had a chance.

But now he ruined things all over again.

And it was all his fault.

And now... He was stuck with the one who hated him the most in this whole mess.

... Where did he go wrong?

Why can't he ever make things right?

It was always gonna be a hopeless battle, wasn't it...

... Red sighed, shakily getting to his feet and returning to his desk.

He didn't wanna look in the eyes of the Monkey King. Or anyone else, for that matter.

He buried his face in his blueprints, knowing full well the monkey behind him was most likely glaring daggers at him.

... He wanted this day to be over. And hopefully, he wouldn't wake up tonight.

[imminent-danger-came]

SWK being so flawed is like one of LMK's strongest bits. I feel like a different show would just have him be infallible or have him be like a twist villain or irredeemable or something. But he's neither of those, he's just incredibly flawed. It's also interesting that even though Mei and Pigsy are critical of him, they're still shown to care about him.

All in all, hes a more complicated character than people give him credit for :/

I 100% agree!

Honestly, if Sun Wukong wasn't flawed I'd find him a bit boring. You remove his flaws and you remove the meat of his character. Even all the way back in season 1 you get the feeling he's withholding information and concealing his past ("Show me the real Sun Wukong! The old you would have leveled this whole mountain range to stop me!"), and that only becomes more and more prevalent as the show goes on.

Wukong is first introduced as a hero, as the King who defended the world from DBK. Next he's introduced as a mentor, planning to make MK his successor (which I think is pretty debatable at this point, as I've said I personally think he just needed an excuse to train MK).

Slowly we learn SWK is pretty terrible at both of those things. He's not the hero or mentor anyone thought he would be—he's not even the mentor he thought he would be:

Macaque: “Haha, you saw a story about a hero who got handed everything, who didn’t have to work for anything, and you thought you were the other guy? The second the hero got real power, he couldn’t care less about his friends.” [ - ] "You know, I meant what I said—you really are a good kid. A good kid, with a really terrible teacher." (2x07 Shadow Play)

-

Pigsy: "Back from what? Your vacation? No- what could have been SO important you'd leave MK alone to face that- that thing! You're supposed to be his mentor!" (2x10 This is the End!)

-

Sun Wukong: "I know I can never make it up to you. Honestly I- I never thought I'd live as long as I have let alone be someone's mentor—turns out I'm not very good at it. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry MK, for all of it." (3x14 Destiny Fulfilled)

-

(he's staring sadly at a bowl of soup, never a good sign.)

s1 of Monkie Kid, as well as the Revenge of the Spider Queen special, establish a baseline. We meet Wukong as we're meant to know him—the legendary yet cheeky hero. Now that he's retired, Monkey King is training the next generation to protect the world and be the heroes in his place.

Right?

Well, just like our perception of Wukong, our perception of the role of the hero slowly degrades as well:

Lady Bone Demon: “Heroes? Please, you’re mere agents of chaos, the very thing I aspire to eradicate in this new world. No more destruction, no more disorder, I WILL HAVE PERFECTION.” (3x12 The Corrupted King)

-

Curse MK: "We’re just like Wukong. A fraud! A trickster! Destructive! Why would our legacy be any different? Actually, no no- the chaos and destruction we’ll bring upon the world will make Wukong’s past look like nothing." (4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

MK: "That can't be true! Monkey King's a hero he wouldn't just—" Azure Lion: "You saw it with your own eyes! His betrayal, his brutality—he took the only friends I had from me." (4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

Heroes aren't people fighting for the side of good, or even for what they think is right—they're agents of chaos. Destructive. "All doomed to play a role in tearing this world apart." Heroes are introduced as one thing, and then slowly revealed to be another.

Heroes, just like Wukong and anyone else, are flawed. They still make wrong choices. They still hurt people. Of course Wukong isn't a twist villain or irredeemable, because ultimately he IS a hero with plenty of the positive traits that come with that. But heroes are also flawed, and this is something I think is at the core of Lego Monkie Kid.

You can love someone, and that someone can do plenty of good, but that doesn't mean they're not broken, or that they aren't capable of causing suffering. This isn't something that only applies to Wukong either—pick any character and I'm sure you could apply this to them.

Now, all this to say that Wukong's two fatal flaws are his lack of communication and his self-sacrificial tendencies. Like Azure Lion says—he has a habit of keeping people at arms length, and more often than not doing that to protect them. These tendencies lead to his downfall.

So! Let's make some lists of where we see these flaws in the show.

Wukong's lack of Communication:

"Look, I'm going to come clean—um, I've been kind of watching you."

Leaving MK and lying to him during s2 (this includes lying about both going on vacation AND that LBD had returned)

Keeping his plan to stop LBD a secret during s3

"Where I got my staff!" "Got or took, right? You took it?"

Not telling the gang about the 4th ring

Other lies I'm sure have yet to be revealed (such as the truth about MK's origins, if that's the direction the plot's going)

Him and Macaque's past

Wukong's Self-sacrificial tendencies:

Leaving during s2 to find a way to stop LBD on his own

"What!? You're not going I'm going!" "Yeah so, here's the problem, you guys have this thing called mortality, so-"

Gravely injuring himself to get the samadhi fire Map

Blocking the brunt of the samadhi fire to protect MK in 3x10

Originally planning to put the Samadhi Fire in himself

Going off to fight the Lady Bone Demon alone

Protecting MK from the curse in 4x01

(and this post here that travels into theory territory)

Now, most, if not all, of these decisions lead to something bad happening. It's very in line with MK's words in 4x08:

MK: It doesn’t matter if I want to help people or not! Everything I do just- it just makes things worse!”

Wukong, even if he has a very questionable way of going about it, is truly motivated by protecting the people he cares about. However, these choices also hurt those same people. Not to reference samadhi fire Mei another time, but this is EXACTLY what she points out:

Mei: "We trusted you! All of us! How could you lead us into the fight without a real plan? Time and time again I've watched you put MK in danger leaving him to figure out EVERYTHING on his own. Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?" (3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

But that's the point, isn't it? Even with all these flaws and after all these mistakes, Wukong still tries (he's very much like Mei in that regard):

Sun Wukong: “Point is, mistakes happen, but so long as you leave the world in better shape than you found it, then it’s all good. Right?” (4x01 Familiar Tales)

-

Sun Wukong: “We can’t change who we were yesterday or in a past life, or a hundred life times ago! We live with the choices we’ve made, for what matter is the choices we make RIGHT NOW! Only we decide who we are and what we do with the power we have.” (4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

-

This is who Wukong is. He's not a hero or a mentor, but he's someone who cares (and maybe that's what a hero is). That's the tragedy of his character, really. That's the tragedy of both him and MK. They're people doing the best with what they have, but still failing anyways.

"Nice hero speech bud, but I know better—deep in your hearts, you don't believe a word of that."

-

But people still love you anyways.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ok but Wukong claims MK as Yubei's honorary/sworn older brother. Macaque who was in the room suddenly feels a cold swear as he Realized Wukong Sees MK As His Kid. His Clcub, who Macaque had chased fown and hunted like an animal in an effort to keep LBD's attention off of Wukong himself.

Macaque has that revelation loooong before Yuebei is born.

You see...

When Macaque was still processing that Wukong (his former mate) had been pregnant with the Egg for many many years - he had a brief brain-fart during "Shadow Play" and at during his panic he asks;

Macaque: "Is it my kid!? Wait..." *glares at MK really hard* "Are you my kid???" MK: "Wut." Macaque: "No, no, wait, thats dumb, it's the same baby now as back then. Sorry bud, but I am totally freaking out right now." MK: "Because you spent the last couple hundred years being a deadbeat dad?" Macaque, grabs MK by the shoulders: "YES!!"

The rest of the MKrew escape the Shadow Lantern simply because Mac was panicking so hard he dropped it. Even being super mad at him, they stay until he stops hyperventillating. In Mac's defense, he's not sure how long normal Stone Monkey pregnancies should be.

Even once the realisation kicks in that the "Egg" is a Stone Egg formed from Wukong being encased in the mountain without resources - Macaque has a second "crap Im dad" realisation when he realises that him abandoning/cutting-off Wukong back then is what triggered the process. He still wants to take responsibility for the Egg as it's indirect creator.

And ofc during S3, Macaque notices how protective/paternal Wukong is with MK and starts to realise;

MK might not be Macaque's kid, but Wukong certainly considers MK to be *his* kid.

Macaque has tricked, fought, and psychologically tormented said kid in his goal to either hurt Wukong or extract information.

Macaque is now being forced to capture said kid and/or Wukong for LBD less he suffers a fate worse than death. And while Macaque would hate to do either, he can't stand the thought of handing Wukong over. So MK is his primary target throughout S3, even if Mac tries his best to "soften the blow" if it were when he tries capturing him.

MK is super excited to meet the Egg when it's finally born, and is acting in a manner typical of an older monkey cub wanting to care for their younger sibling. It's too fricking cute and-

Well crap, now Mac doesn't want to turn the kid over. Mostly cus doing so will def hurt Wukong and make his King somehow hate Mac even more than he does now.

Maybe if they do get the Samadhi Fire, him and Wukong might- Macaque, begings violently batting away his talkative shadow clones: "NOPE! Get the heck out of here with that!! I'm just getting the Fire to be free of LBD's influence!"

And once Yuebei is finally born...

Wukong, talking to the baby: "Bao bei [treasure], this is your big brother, MK. Well, honorary big brother, but you get what I mean." MK, holding Yuebei: *is so happy he can't form words + is happy-crying* Macaque: *trying his best not to ask MK "hey, wanna be our son?", cus Mk has his adoptive dads + Mac thinks the kid hates him anyway* "Hah. Crybaby." MK, still crying: "Shut up. You cried when you saw her for the first time." Macaque, trying his best not happy-cry again: "She looks like me! Of course I'd cry - such a curse to place upon a innocent soul!" Wukong: *sighs fondly at the back-and-forth*

Mac's gut reaction is to insult others/himself when he feels emotionally vulnerable, and MK knows how to flip it around.

It very much becomes a "Dad treating his eldest son vs younger daughter" situation, especially if Bai He is thrown into the mix. Mac will 100% spoil his little princesses, but MK...

MK can handle it. He's Wukong's heir. He's ok with Mac only really being soft on him when no one else is around. Secretly Mac's kinda jealous of the dad-attention Pigsy, Wukong, and even Tang get from the kidm even though in his heart he knows it's unlikely MK will ever see Mac as a father figure.

[bsnotoneaskedfor]

Tired MK

Before you judge, hear me out.

MK goes through SO much shit because of his "Monkey Kid" status. Like, a ton. As someone who is a teen and struggles with mental health it is so obvious that MK has been spiraling since day one. The poor dude is going to die of anxiety and depression before the Lady Bone Bitch tries to order a smackdown with a side of trauma. MK is also a people pleaser. He legit is always trying to live up to people's standards and be "just like Monkey King".

Here's the thing: I also suffer from trying to please everyone and let me tell you that shit is exhausting. Fuck magic, the thing that really makes this show fiction is that MK hasn't had a massive mental breakdown. He's had baby ones, that are still valid, but he's pushed them aside because "he has to be the hero". He never really shows signs of emotional distress besides the show poking fun at it or using it for plot. For those in the comments, please don't try to psychoanalyze the show to prove me wrong. This is just what I have seen. So, with this being said, there is something I really would love to see and have adopted it as my personal headcannon.

MK being done with everyone's shit.

Not, "MK's tired", or "MK's sassy ;D", or even Mk going through an emo phase.

I want absolutely 100% done MK.

I want to see him surviving on coffee or energy drinks because the weight of everyone's expectations keeps him up at night. I want him mad when people start blaming him/looking to him for answers because "he's the Monkey Kid". I want him done with Wukong's bullshit. I want my realistic representation of burnout and mental illness. I want to see him trying to get better and no longer caring about calling people out for being toxic.

I don't know if I'm 100% explaining this right because words are really hard so here are some examples of what I see my MK head cannon as.

(This one's based off that one TikTok audio where the guy yells at the cats to get off the couch)

MK: *Sitting peacefully, attempting to do homework or some other quiet activity*

Macaque and Wukong : *fighting like feral cats*

MK: (almost roars it) STOP IT!

Macaque and Wukong : *is startled and a little afraid*

MK : LEARN TO FUCKING GET ALONG OR SO HELP ME I'LL TEST THE LIMITS OF YOUR IMMORTALITY

Macaque and Wukong : *obeying, nearly about to piss themselves out of fear*

MK: *Deep Breath. Goes back to what he was doing*

Every Demon Within 50 miles : wtf was that?

--- -------------------------------------------------------------------------

MK: *chugging a coffee or energy drink*

Some Demon: *starts destroying the city*

MK : Dammit *Chugs faster. *

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Wukong: Hey bud! When's the last time that you've slept?

MK: *completely deadpan* It is finals week.

Wukong : That doesn't answer-

MK:*getting angrier* I have to defend the city every damn day. I have to deal with your messes, including you. I train every day for at least 4 hours even when we don't meet up. I WORK FULL TIME AT THE GODDAMN NOODLE SHOP AND THEN I HAVE TO FUCKING STUDY FOR COLLEGE. WHEN IN THE NAME OF BUHDDA WOULD I BE ABLE TO SLEEP?!?!

Wukong : *sweats* So I see that you're stressed-

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Team Monkey : Why didn't you use [ insert power] to start with?!

MK: *sarcastic* I'm sorry. I thought we all deserved a nice bonding trip where we spent the entire time bickering and getting the shit beaten out of us. Was that supposed to be next week?!?

Team Monkey : . . .

MK: How about you guys make a list of everything I can do. That way, next time, we can just all look at it together and none of you blame me.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Son : * trying to pick a fight and just being a dick in general*

MK: *Not having it* Do not make me duct tape you down so I can embroider your worst nightmares onto your skin, you pompous little fuck!

Red Son : . . .wtf

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Son : *Is pretty*

MK: *deep sigh of disappointment* I need therapy . . .

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mei : * Gets the Samhadi Fire*

MK: *remembering all the shit and expectations he went through once he got his powers*

Mei: *About to have a breakdown*

MK: *laughs* Have fun

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Red Son: *breaks in at the middle of the night in an attempt to capture MK*

MK: *is awake because insomnia* So, do you , like, want some tea . . .?

May do a Pt 2

[ritz-writes]

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Oh, sorry, I dropped the 10/10 stars I have for your awesome writing! (you can count this as just one if you want fjgfdjgsl)

JREIHWERG LMAO THANK YOU 😭💖 Imma put them on my wall

Not sure if this is in relation to the director's cut or not, but I'm gonna assume it is so I can scream about the 'not forgiving' scene cuz I am totally not normal about it.

Ngl, I projected on Wukong a bit with this scene. For like a day I thought of him forgiving Tripitaka, but very quickly thought, "That's not fair, though."

Mainly the line, "If I forgive you now, I’ll never be able to forgive myself. If I forgive you now, it wouldn’t be fair to me." When Wukong says 'me' he is talking about his current self, but he's also talking about the Wukong that had talks with Mac; the Wukong from centuries prior that screamed and cried to a dead master, begging to know what he did wrong, why he deserved to suffer for making simple mistakes (I know some people say it was deserved sometimes, but I don't believe the fillet was EVER used 'justly' cuz I don't believe in pain as punishment. And for an immortal being?? That's literally just lifelong trauma). If he forgave Sanzang at that moment, he would live in regret and bitterness for centuries, if not forever. And after all the hurt the monk had put him through, even though he was apologizing, that doesn't mean Wukong should force himself to forgive; force himself to lie and say everything is fine just to make Sanzang feel better. He's living for himself and his family now, and no one else. (Let's all say thank you to Macaque for helping Wukong through his feelings and trauma <33)

Again, kinda projecting, but I think using irl experiences/problems and weaving them into writing is what makes things feel real ya know?

Also while I'm ranting about my writing, in Hope there's just one line I really want to be brought to attention. "He could smell Macaque’s signature scent of plums and rain, a scent he never forgot but sometimes couldn’t remember." Idk why, but I rlly rlly love this line. Literally just putting it here cuz I wanted more people to see it lmao

[sketching-shark]

I'm guessing you've seen all of LMK Season 4 (excluding the Special obviously) in English by now. Thoughts, comments, concerns?

Monkie Kid spoilers below:

Thoughts & Comments:

So many of the yaoguai have Cockney accents...

Kind of surprised that no one's mentioned Tang's "I have DEVOTED my life to this man!" in regards to Zhu Dachu haha

And in terms of different kinds of relationships involving the pigman it is pretty neat that Dadsy is definitely canon :)

There were a number of genuinely funny moments.

Super awesome that we got Sun Wukong talking about making multiple regrettable life choices though :(

Also I've got to agree with others in saying that it was a real stretch for Qi Xiaotian to take on all the blame for the calamities in seasons past. In that regard it was messed up of SWK to agree with Qi Xiaotian about those things being his fault. IDK if that's yet another example of "SWK is a terrible teacher" or if he's uniquely terrible to mentor Qi Xiaotian because they share a tendency to blame themselves for things that aren't their fault but I also don't know if that will ever be explored.

Also also super awesome that we got even MORE figures from the Monkey King's past who hate his guts because of the violence he put them through. The plot definitely did seem to be be giving itself enough wiggle room so that their animosity might end up being the result of a massive misunderstanding and/or manipulation of memories and/or SWK being forced to do things through headband torture times. But again I'm not really getting why Azure Lion or even a good chunk of Team Monkie--who it must be remembered have no idea the headband torture even happened--would consider SWK getting trapped in the Memory Scroll a bad thing given what they've suffered because of his decisions and failures. Like wow I've seen people say "He was sorry!" but sorry is not going to cut it when you've trapped your besties in an ink hell dimension for a millennia :[ That said the Monkey King did seem to be given a teensy break in the "SWK sucks" parade in terms of Azure Lion describing his failure to take down the Jade Emperor as a defeat, implying that SWK tried his best even if his best wasn't good enough.

Very confused with Qi Xiaotian's deal in terms of him maybe coming from the same stone as Sun Wukong but also maybe not. We'll see if this changes but I actually kinda liked it better when he was just some guy :]. That said it is a kind of neat idea that the stone itself regenerates & produces more monkeys besides the Monkey King; it could explain where the other World-Wreaking Monkeys come from.

Honestly out of everyone it was Sha Dali who was my favorite this season. That blue giant is so cute :3

Kind of seemed like this season was making some digs as Xiyouji's set-up and maybe people who have said that season 1 was their favorite given that the "monsters-of-the-week" format was repeatedly mocked...

I am wondering if and when they're going to explain why Li Nezha seemed to think keeping the old Jade Emperor on his throne was worth more than his own life...given that the sky started to crack after he was killed it seems like that celestial might have literally been holding the heavens together. Although if that's the case haha wow not sure how they'll manage this situation where an oppressive figure was literally necessary for the functioning of reality. Maybe that will give that mysterious hooded figure who instigated all of this a chance to step in...I have seen some people predict that it's Erlang Shen, and that could potentially be interesting if he managed to arrange things so that the uncle who killed most of his family was deposed through the demigod's manipulation but not by his hand, thus leaving Erlang Shen to reclaim heaven from a mere rogue yaoguai. And also with the one guy who was his equal in strength locked away in ink hell world.

Wild that the Six Eared Macaque finally achieved his dream of replacing the Monkey King lmao

Concerns:

Same as usual for me, so that would be: worried that they might just keep doubling and tripling down on what a thoughtless failure SWK is; worried that we're going to get 'end of the world' fatigue soon in terms of the relentlessly high stakes; concerned that the 'revolutionaries against a legitimately unjust system are going to have their actions condemned because they 'went too far' and/or made everything 1000 times worse' trope is going to be recycled here; are we ever going to get bonding moments between SWK and Qi Xiaotian again

---

EDIT: So it does need to be noted that I was being too harsh on the Monkey King with my wording implying that Sun Wukong agreed completely with Qi Xiaotian about the calamities being only his fault so I'll take the L on that. Even so, and even if Qi Xiaotian messed up in a couple of things, I still wish SWK had pushed harder against the idea that all of the catastrophes were only because of his tudi's actions like Qi Xiaotian seems to believe, which I guess he kind of does by noting that the Demon Bull King, Spider Queen, and Lady Bone Demon were angry at the Monkey King first with Qi Xiaotian getting caught in the crossfire. I think he could have done more to point out that these villains were their own agents, or if we got some more down time I think it would be nice to have a shifu-tudi bonding moment of them going through strategies on how they might work together to halt potentially world-ending calamities before they get that catastrophic. After all, making a mistake is one thing, but when it's in the context of "the entirety of the world could end" situations one right after another that does call for some contemplation on what you could do differently!

[lint-beetle4]

Hello tiss I anon I’m so happy you seem to like my ideas ( hope you actually do lol) ! I’m the looser who’s made most of if not all the bottom macaque stuff ( no idea what’s in your in box but I feel like it might just be my bullshit) and weird lore ideas since I like to make him suffer to cope . As someone who can’t write but has a most likely unhealthy amount of unhealthy amount of bottled up ideas your a gift! Please imagine my brain as the Charlie day conspiracy chart meme :). Anyway I’m so sorry if I’m being annoying I’ll stop if I am really don’t want to be a bother. Again thanks so much your amazing genuinely!

-🦇

Honestly, doing these requests make me learn a lot about myself! I love the ideas people submit over, and frankly, I'm all for bottom Macaque myself!

It's fun writing about this stuff, and I appreciate every request I get!

Trust me when I say, you're not a bother at all! I love interacting with the fandom, and I'm glad that I'm able to provide some substance for you guys!

[all-my-writings-and-musings]

For those of you who are new to this, I have predone writing prompts and you can request which character to see in them next, and I'll write a short story for it following your specifications! I've done another one like this for Sun Wukong. I have another prompt that involves the reader falling and needing rescue,which so far I've done for Ne Zha, Yin, and Macaque. If you like either of those and want to see a specific character next, or have an idea of your own, you can request stories or headcanons in my inbox! I already have a few in there I cannot wait to get to!!

Sleepy Prompt

After pushing themselves too hard for too long, the reader still refuses to sleep, resulting in the character who's crushing on them stepping in to force them to get some rest.

Macaque x Reader

"The reader has been struggling with a myriad of demands including their job, and simply can't say no to any of their many obligations, resulting in Macaque enforcing a self care day when they meet nearby his Dojo."

It had been silly of you to expect anything to turn out in your favor, but you still felt the sting of disappointment when your boss's notification popped up on your phone, demanding your immediate arrival on what was supposed to be a day off.

Shoulders slumping from more than just weariness, you tried not to think about how hard it would be to stay awake for a solid eight hours as you changed course on the empty sidewalk. The impromptu visit you'd been hoping for was shot; you just had to wait for next week and hope that day wouldn't be stolen too. The sun rising over the roof of the Dojo at your back made your heart sink with painful want. There was so little in your world that made you happy, it seemed almost purposefully cruel of fate to deny you time with your only friend.

Getting a move on so as not to be weighed down by your sadness or exhaustion, you tried to walk quickly to wake yourself up. Between the overtime and the total lack of breaks, your body was suffering just as much as your social life, making every step that much harder. It would be a miracle if you didn't doze off before your shift was over. Knowing your boss, he'd probably kick up a fuss over you looking less than enthused to be working on three hours of sleep…

A most unexpected rush of wind tousled your hair, and before you could fix it another breeze sent it whooshing in the other direction, followed by another after that in an unnatural whiplash. Your sleep deprived brain briefly panicked about losing its grip on reality before a magical and familiar glow caught your eye.

"You know, when I saw my favorite human outside my front door, I was expecting a visit." Macaque teased as he materialized from the thin shadow of a streetlight, walking as if he'd merely stepped in from another room. The portal he'd summoned to surprise you faded into nothingness as he leveled his playful gaze on you. Even if he was obviously playing around, your heart twisted with guilt to think he'd seen you and been anticipating your visit, unannounced as it had been. It was bad enough you'd had to cancel, now you had to share that disappointment.

Still smirking but losing some of the playfulness as he beheld your absolutely miserable expression, he righted your tousled hair with a tiny and almost apologetic breeze, but continued to be far from serious. "I'm crushed! What's the matter, can't spare a minute for your favorite monkey?"

"Oh, I didn't realize-!" you began in an apology, not wanting him to think you'd ever pass up the chance to spend time with him. Goodness, looking forward to the small amount of time you got to spend with him was what kept you going… Realizing that every minute counted, you changed the topic and started to walk and talk, encouraging him to follow for the brief explanation you hoped would be sufficient. "Sorry! My boss needs me to pull another shift. I've got to hurry or else I'll be late."

Macaque tilted his head and lost a fraction of his smirk, but was genuinely perplexed as opposed to displeased, walking at your side with his arms folded behind his back. "Late on your day off?"

"It's not my day off anymore��" you sighed, the weight of it all hitting you anew. Being awake for this long was already pushing it, you had no idea how you were going to make it through your shift, but you also had no choice. You were struggling to make ends meet and money was, unfortunately, not something you could afford to turn down.

"Hmm." Macaque hummed in apparent thought. An apologetic goodbye was set to leave your lips before he unexpectedly kept the conversation going, stepping in front of you to stop you in your tracks. Golden eyes looked you over from top to bottom as he arched a brow incredulously. You wilted a little under his gaze, fully convinced he'd be disappointed in your lack of time for him. A hand under your chin tilted your downturned gaze up to meet his. Those same eyes held something you didn't have the energy to decipher. "When did you last get a day off? Or a night off, for that matter?"

"I don't have the time." you replied automatically, not wanting him to worry even if it was hard to resist dozing off in his palm. While his concern was appreciated, you didn't want him wasting energy on such trivial mortal things, especially when they didn't involve him. Being a burden was a fantastic way to lose friends. All you could do was get to work and endure the shift, there was no arguing your way out of all the bills you had due. Looking up at him with your exhausted eyes, you tried to convey some small measure of reassurance. "Besides, it's nothing I can't handle."

Releasing your chin, he appeared to concede before chuckling softly. A snap of his fingers summoned a portal in the time it took for you to blink, and before you even had a chance to step back he was pushing you inside. "What a coincidence! I can handle it too, and here's how!"

A mattress met your face after a short fall, leaving you sputtering and knocking aside a tangle of pillows and blankets that ensnared you like a spider's web. Able to recognize the inside of the Dojo, you looked about in total bewilderment before realizing he'd dropped you on his mess of a bed. Anxiety only poverty could bring made the experience far from enjoyable. Good gracious, you didn't have time for this! 

"Macaque, hey!" you shouted as he followed you and dropped smoothly to the floor, closing the portal with a calm smirk that stretched from ear to ear. Motivated by fears of late rent and your boss's fury, you wrestled yourself free from his messy nest of a bed, stopping only to catch your breath when the little bit of exercise proved too much. Desperately trying to ignore how tempted you were to just go limp and sleep, you swung your shaking legs about to settle them on the floor. There was simply no time for games, or rest, or fun of any kind in your life, no matter how much you wanted it. There had to be a way to make him understand without pushing him away. "I don't have time for this, I need-"

A hand gripped your shoulder firmly but gently, refusing to let you stand. Caught off guard by how serious he became in what felt like the blink of an eye, you offered no resistance as his golden eyes looked deep into yours, his voice more level and genuine than most would have known he was capable of as he finished your sentence. 

"Sleep."

You almost crumpled into him, wanting so badly to comply it brought tears to your eyes. A million worries buzzed about your mind like a swarm of bees, needling you with all of the terrible things that might happen if you lost your job. You had worked so hard just to make it this far on your own, and failing would destroy more than your progress. Your heart couldn't endure another setback on this journey to some kind of stability. "Not as much as I need to pay rent…"

Macaque didn't release your shoulder, and his expression didn't relent in the slightest. If anything, he appeared more intent than ever upon beholding your obvious desperation, though he was as gentle as could be as he pushed you down onto the mattress. You almost shed a few tears as your back met the nest of plush blankets and pillows, your body crying out for the rest you knew deep down it needed but couldn't have. Before you could find the words to argue, he broke the silence.

"You just lay your head down and let someone else do some worrying for a change." he encouraged, your resistance crumbling despite the consequences. This was what you wanted more than anything in the world right now, but even with the weight of absolute exhaustion on your shoulders your fears were too strong to simply ignore. Beholding your despondent expression, he huffed and grabbed one of many spare blankets to toss over you. "Seriously, I'll take care of your boss, alright? You focus on getting some sleep. I can see how bad you need it."

Were you more awake and coherent, you might have had an easier time following along with what he was trying to convey without words, but you were far too twisted up in worry and exhaustion to understand. Not even the blanket over your body or the throbbing of your head could cut through the fog.

"But if I don't-"

"That sounds an awful lot like worrying, Y/N." Macaque retorted, final attempt at being playful fading when he saw the total dejection on your face. Looking aside, he frowned and seemed to battle with something inside himself before huffing and giving in. Dropping the act he wore around almost everyone, he gingerly adjusted the blanket over you to be more comfortable and leaned in, speaking privately as if the two of you might be overhead. "Do you remember what I told you? That as long as I'm here, you don't need to worry? I meant that."

It finally clicked in your mind, like a key turning a formerly jammed lock; you didn't have to worry because he would be there. In his own impossibly repressed way, the Six-Eared Macaque was telling you he'd take care of you. Even if you lost your job, your apartment, all the little things you'd clawed for and thought you needed… he would be there to support you. 

"Thank you…" was all you could say, a few hot tears soaking the pillow beneath your head before he wiped them away with a blanket. Clearing his throat, he jumped back into the persona you knew so well, smiling as he ensured you were set up to his satisfaction. 

"Don't thank me yet, I'm a terrible roommate." he joked, cementing that you had a place with him. Considering how you'd more than likely be fired either for missing this shift or whatever Macaque was about to do to your manager, that would undoubtedly be happening sooner rather than later. The idea didn't frighten you in the least. If anything, he'd just removed a burden so great all your body cared to do was rest. You went absolutely limp on the bed, its comfort seeping into you like a warm embrace as sleep took you more rapidly than you knew it was capable of. 

Just before unconsciousness took you, the lights were switched off, and a gentle hand seemed to brush your temple as a careful voice whispered with some uncertainty. "If you need me, you, uh, know where I'll be."

[screechingkroh]

Damn, I am looking forward to Seer tearing Macaque to shreds for his betrayal (verbally). It'd be great if Seer breaks their promise off and leaves with "Have fun dealing with the bone demon by yourself." or smth like that, just really dig into Macaronis fear and make him suffer the consequences. (Not suggesting or trying to force anything, just an image I really like) to help with breaking the promise I'm sure Wukong would be fine with taking Macaques place as Seers bodyguard of sorts (assuming he hasn't already) I just really want the evil monkey shithead to suffer from his actions because it's about time the dude faces them. He just burned off his end of a bridge and it needs to be clear that Seer isn't afraid to burn their end as well. Sorry dude, friends take priority.

Though I'm sure whatever actually happens will turn out great, I love your writing so much! Looking forward to it!

🐈‍⬛-anon

:)

You're kind of correct. You've hit some points.

I'd like to gently remind everyone here that I stated in a previous post that Seer's highest priority is their friends and family. MK and the gang are their found and chosen family.

Macaque was just a dumbass to threaten them.