#Of course Heaven feared Wukong as well

[relmint]

Sun Wukong strikes me as a person who takes pride in doing a job well. Also I think he's a harder worker then people give him credit for.

Yes! When Sun Wukong puts his mind into something he gives it his all and does his very best. He diligently searched for immortality, spending 9 years on the South Jambūdvīpa Continent. During this time, he was also able to learn about human conduct all on his own. He then trained under Patriarch Puti for 7 years, becoming one of the Patriarch's best students.

And you know lemme share with you something that really blew my mind. The Jade Emperor in two of his myths had to cultivate himself for more than 3 million years to get where he is today. Sun Wukong, meanwhile, cultivated himself for 7 years under Patriarch Puti and in that short period of time he managed to rival that of Heaven itself. The power scaling is INSANE! Really goes to show how op Wukong is 😭 Just imagine how much powerful Wukong could be if Patriarch Puti didn't expell him!

[semisolidmind]

How do you think season 5 would’ve gone in your Bad End or Twice As Bad AU?

ok, so

y'know how, since season 4, mk has been going through the whole “i don’t want to use or even acknowledge my monkey form because it makes me feel like a monster” thing? well, bad end/twice as bad mk doesn’t have that hangup to address, because he’s spent his entire life up until the shows’ events in that form, training and living in it. he knows no other way.

he is an incredibly powerful monkey demon; he is the harbinger of chaos, and he's fine with it.

his “mortal” form is the one he’s been having visions and confrontations with. (i imagine the ink curse in s4 using his mortal form to taunt him about being weak now that he's got mortals he cares about– "keep on compromising for them, and you'll end up just like them; too small and insignificant to ever make a difference.")

instead of having to face his fear that he may be dangerous (because as a crazy powerful monkey demon trained by the two other most powerful monkey demons in the universe, of course he is), his mortal self is trying to tell him that he doesn't have to be a monster like wukong. death and rampant destruction don't have to be his legacy.

the mortal mk in his meditative visions tells him that caring for his friends doesn't make him weak or undeserving of his power and lineage. the visions he has during the guardian trials (and the guardians themselves) tell him that in order to be a real hero, he has to care about those that his training would tell him are "lesser" than him (also that his friends aren't worth less just because they don't have a ridiculous amount of power).

mk would learn to accept that every being in the world has value, regardless of their status. nuwa would tell him this as well, when he meets her.

season 5 would be bad end/twice as bad mk's journey of accepting that he has a mortal heart, and that caring for others has immense power all on its own. he must choose to be the change to the status quo.

he'd always known he was an "agent of chaos," but the events of season five cement in his mind that he was brought into the world for a reason. just that now, he alone gets to decide what that reason is.

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as for his mentors...

getting captured and re-bound by the gold fillet wasn't exactly on the monkey king's itinerary, and he's majorly pissed. he levels the surrounding area about it, and decimates all of the soldiers sent to subdue him (regardless of how agonizing the tightening spell is; the pain just makes him angrier). he breaks every ward and barrier placed against him, tears apart any enemy who dares to come close. his rage is a force to be reckoned with.

wukong had sworn he'd never be subjugated by heaven ever again; he's definitely not just gonna let this slide. the celestial realm will suffer for their breach of the tentative peace they brokered by leaving the monkey king well enough alone.

as the only one that gets captured after his fit of rage, he only has to get himself out of celestial prison. easy, despite how many wards are placed on his cell (it's not like heaven has ever been much of a threat to him before, after all). he has to get back to the group, for his family's sake. nothing will stand in his way.

macaque only barely dodges getting locked into a fillet as well, and uses his advantage to launch a sneak attack on nezha and li jing; this forces them back and gives the gang their chance to escape in the chaos caused by the monkey bros.

the shadow general takes the distraction provided by wukong's rampage to get reader and everyone else somewhere safe. from there, the gang helps mk find all the stones, defeat the guardians trials, and eventually make their way to the pillar.

both wukong and macaque try to stop mk from sacrificing himself (in-between fighting the nine-headed demon), and reader tries to talk him down from it. however, she can't argue with the look of quiet determination on his face..she knows that he's made up his mind. with tears in her eyes she embraces him, then lets him go.

wukong tries to go after him, but one look at reader stops him. she's...she's accepted his decision. just like she always has. maybe...maybe this time, wukong should too. he sheds tears and holds onto his wife... but doesn't follow his son into the pillar.

the world goes silent, before bursting back to life.

the stones are destroyed, the nine-headed demon dissapears, and things go back to almost normal.

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—i imagine reader, with her skills as a peacemaker developed from her centuries as queen of flower fruit mountain, is the one who keeps everyone calm and grounded throughout their ordeals. she's gotten to know them all through her adopted charge, and keeps them on track.

—now it'd make sense for reader to be left relatively safe on ffm, but given the state of the universe in this season, the monkey bros aren't about to let her out of their sight (weird end-of -the-world-again family road trip). they don't care much for the rest of existence, but even they have to acknowledge that they'd prefer the world and their mountain unbroken.

—the pagoda sequence is a very emotionally tense one for reader and the boys in twice as bad. reader relives being stolen and the early years of her imprisonment; after they break her out of the hundred eyed demon's spell, she won't look at either of them and flinches away when they try to touch her; little does she know, her husbands relived the same thing (plus all the other bad shit they've done). they've learned enough compassion for her to feel a bit of shame.

[newkatzkafe2023]

Hey, so I thought of something funny, the Wukongs (and D.O) meeting the reader as the grim reaper (specifically the wolf from Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). And while she's pissed that they decided to cheat Death (AKA her), the monkeys are ignoring that fact and are constantly trying to hit on her. And what's worse they're not afraid of her. (Cause Death loves the smell of fear.)

I LOVE PUSS IN BOOTS THE LAST WISH!!! DEATH IS MY FAVORITE CHARACTER!!🤩

(Lmk Wukong) GOD He is so annoying, he's been nothing but troublesome and irresponsible sense day one. Worse part is he was searching for immortality for his arrogant and vain self like the selfish jacka** he ended up being. Way earlier in the His centuries , he was deathly afraid of you (HA get it🤣😈) and you thrive oh his fear. What you didn't expect was for him to be so scared of you that he would find a way to escape you entirely. You tried to stop him by taking his soul early but he was a cheeky slippery like sh*t, at the end of it all he became immortal meaning he's no longer scared of you at all. This made your blood boil and you stormed off away from him leaving him be for years but the thing is he now spends his immortality trying to woo you and win you over. This might be a good time to get this thing called a Restraining order😑

(MKR Wukong) He's the second one you can't stand at all. His sh*tty attitude irritates you so bad of course you would go to threaten him especially when he was searching for immortality. I bet you 20 bucks too that the reason he's looking for immortality is a F*ck you to not only heaven but you as well. That caused a fued to break out and The final straw was when he became immortal, and boi did you go off at him as you both fought again. Then he somehow took you off guard and he crashed dead smack on to you lips, you freaked out of course and pushed him off but instead he pulled you closer and well with the Adrenaline and sudden move affection. He got to know you all too well, but you were able to get away from him blushing and growling at him. It was too late though because now he wants you very badly.

(NR Wukong) Oh lord, once he found out you were a woman, their would be no getting away from him. He would spemd everyday flirting with you and trying different ways to woo you. It was so annoying and inconvenient to your work, He became immortal centuries ago, and you would avoid him like a plague, but unfortunately, you knew him as a mortal Of course, you know the song and dance you would thrive on his fear of being scared of death. Unfortunately, years down the line, he found out something about you. When you both fought each other one more time, he ripped your poncho and saw a pair of breast cover Ina lace bra. Making you turn red in anger and embrassment before knocking his ass out. Hopefully, you scramble his brain to think he was hallucinating, but that clearly didn't work because, worse of the worst of all, he's trying to bed and marry you.

(HIB Wukong) Oh, you both have bumped heads, both when he was mortal and immortal centuries ago. Their was never a time when you both weren't fighting, his arrogance knew no bounds at the time, so it was fun knocking him on his ass. Then you found out about his immortality, which caused you to snap in a way that it never did before. You went to stop him from getting to immortality, and you both actively throw hands with each other during the journey to find immortality. It turns out to be all in vain at the end because Wukong got to the immortality peaches, and boy were you pissed. Cursing him in Chinese and Wukong no longer fearing you we fought for a good while until he grabbed to your boob. Shocking you both making you both blush and you yell profanities as you punched him, and that's how you got a monkey to become obsessed with you.

(Netflix Wukong) Oh man it was Hilarious bullying this joker when he was a mortal. I mean he did have your sympathy when he didn't really fit in with the other monkeys, but ever since he got that God forsaken stick He quickly became a pain in your ass. It's gets worse when you find out that he's on the path to get immortality, which was the straw that broke the Camels back. You tried to scare him out of his journey for immortality, and you would Spook him and pop out of nowhere Whistling at him. Well at the end unfortunately for you 2 things happen, 1 he finally got his immortality for himself, and 2, he found out that his bully was a female, and now he won't leave you alone. You tried to scare him away, but instead, he cuddled you close. Just great😒

(BMW Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhhh he just loves to get under your skin about his immortality😡 He's been taunting you for years with arrogance and brazen trouble making and Attitude. You would think that ass whooping you gave him as a teenager would get the point across but no If anything it motivated him to not only escape you but to one day get a rematch from you. When he did get his immortality, he did not one but seven freaking times It's like he was pissing you off on purpose and it gets even worse when he was never scared of you in the first place. You know what's worse instead of being scared, his stupid ass flirts with you you want to strangle him but you can't 😤😡🤬

(The Destined one) He doesn't actually annoy you as much as the others would. If anything he peaks your curiosity, as he wonders around on his journey it seems like he's rediscovering the world around him. Granted you hate how he got his immortality and Therefore doesn't have any reason to fear you, but he was incredibly respectful of you anyway so you didn't have any reason to decline his request for a date.

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[inkcrowsnest]

Birdcage

You feel the cold grip of fear course through your veins. One moment you were sitting by the campfire waiting for the Destined One / Sun Wukong to come back the next a group of yaoguai showed up and took you captive. Large clawed hands ding into your arm as you’re lifted effortlessly off the ground. Kicking, screaming, you do everything in your power to escape. 

But it’s useless. You're dragged further and further away. 

Taken to a cave deep within the mountain, the cavernous lair is cold and haunting. It stinks of flesh and rot. Littered on the ground are bones of people who met an unfortunate end. You’re going to die. That’s the only thought running through your head.

But to your surprise the leader of the group has different plans. Instead of being turned into dinner, you're thrown into a massive birdcage. The bars are too narrow for you to squeeze through and you have nothing in hand to pick the lock. 

A day and night passes. 

You’re left to your own devices inside that lonely birdcage. With only the occasional visit. Your kidnapper does nothing, simply watches you inside your cage. You cling on to the hope that soon you’ll be rescued.

Destined One

[-] Starts to immediately go on the search for you the moment he realizes you’re gone.

[-] His one goal is to find you and make sure you are safe. His eyes narrow as he looks for any clues that will lead him to you. When he does find the cave, he initially sneaks inside but is spotted.

[-] The ensuing fight is a mess. His staff is swung left and right. Pushing through the enemy until he reaches you.

[-] Busting open the birdcage, DO rushes to your side. Pulls you into a hug and immediately starts to check you for injuries. When he’s sure that you’re okay, he’s going to slump against you.

[-] The stress of worry finally caught up to him. Both of you walk out of that cave together,exhausted but relieved.

[-] He’s going to follow you everywhere. Need to collect herbs and vegetables for dinner that day, he’s going to be at your side carrying anything you find. Need to take a bath, well better be comfortable with sharing a bath. 

[-] You’re going to have to reassure him that everything will be alright. And only after you’ve given him kisses will he relax.

Sun Wukong

[-] WHO WOULD DARE KIDNAP YOU?! Sun Wukong, known for wreaking havoc in heaven, earth, and the underworld, is beyond  furious. It’s not a matter of if he’ll find you, but a matter of when he’ll find you.

[-] Will do anything within his power to get you back. If he can’t do it on his own, he’ll threaten to cause another incident in heaven if they don’t help get you back.

[-] When he does find out where you are being kept, his first instinct is to storm in and take you. But, not wanting to risk you getting hurt, Wukong transforms into a small beetle and sneaks inside.

[-] Seeing you inside a birdcage causes him to detransform. The fight that follows is bloody. He shows no mercy to those that kidnapped you.

[-] By the time he’s done, you know that no one would think about ever kidnapping you.

[-] Wukong is going to check to make sure that you’re alright. Will tend to any wounds you may have gotten. Will make sure that you eat something and will stay by your side. 

[-] For the next couple of days, Wukong is going to be clingy. He’ll never admit it, but the thought that you could have died keeps him up at night. He has a lot of enemies that want revenge and any of them could try to hurt you.

[-] Keeps you within sight and reach. His tail is going to be wrapped around your waist or wrist.

[-] Is going to hold you closer at night, dreading the idea of waking up to you gone. He’ll only ease up when he knows you can protect yourself. Expect to get personal one-on-one training with him.

[moobloom-mention]

The Broken Pleas of a Familiar Face (And an Exhausted Shadow)

Summary: The Great Sage finds himself a moment of reprieve from his Journey to the West and decides to visit Flower Fruit Mountain for the first time in centuries.

Unfortunately, it's not joyous cheers and festivities that greet him, but his own shadow's tired eyes and lashing tongue.

Content Warning(s): Angst, Brief violence

Word Count: 3761

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To find the Great Sage straying far from the side of his Master was an odd thing to discover.

After all, the grand king's predicament was well-versed in both the celestial realm and mortal plane, humanity's fear of Wukong's supposed "freedom" having forced the Heavens to announce that the nuisance would be kept beneath a careful thumb.

Under control, Macaque had interpreted, tail kinked at such an outlandish proclamation. As if Wukong, the epitome of chaos, could ever bare to exist under the cautious eye of another.

And yet two years had reigned since the beginning of his sworn brother's journey to the West, two years since he'd been spared from centuries more of wasting away beneath a mountain. At the first sign of freedom, the Great Sage's shadow had assumed that he'd be visiting his kingdom to meet the newest generations of Flower Fruit Mountain, to laugh amidst monkeys who'd grown up beneath Macaque's watchful eye instead of their righteous king.

But the rulers of Time and the cruel grin of Fate cared not for the occupants of their home, as two years of the king's freedom turned into three.

And three into four.

Wukong's continuous absence from his homeland was such an oddity that it had been the reason Macaque had left the safety of the island's hidden cave in the first place. Had he felt twinges of guilt for leaving the little ones curled up and fast asleep by themselves? Of course, he had been their sole protector for the past five centuries after all, but he couldn't bare the thought of his king's subjects awakening to find him tormented by self-doubt and concern.

Besides, a walk had always done well to dissipate his frequent fears and trepidations of loneliness, feeling welcome beneath the moon's merciful light and the vegetative flush of the island.

Five centuries of recovering from Erlang's fury had done well to regrow the dense forestry, he'd thought kindly, as though it wasn't sinful pride and mockery that such a thought ignited within his chest. Everything about Flower Fruit Mountain was soon to be righteous again, and after having convinced himself of the mantra's truth, he'd waved aside the guilt of leaving the little ones asleep without his presence.

But to feel the breakage of one of his many seals protecting the island? And to find the Great Sage himself, Equal to Heaven, to be the culprit? Macaque had expected the Heavens themselves to come crashing down behind the reckless king, screeching of betrayal and fury.

The sky, however, does not fall as the shadow expects it to, instead calm and but a witness to Wukong's barreling form.

"Mihou!" his king cries, nimbus cloud but a figment of the past as he crashes into his shadow with chitters of delight. It's small blessings to find that the Heavens had not crushed the celestial monkey's energetic spirit, still ever-so-generous with his infectious smile. "How I've missed you."

The foreign sensation of embarrassment carves itself within Macaque's chest at the way his own face floods with relief, feeling at ease enough to reciprocate such a loving sentiment. There's far too much he'd missed in the five-hundred years of the Sage's disappearance, from the playful arch of his king's eyebrows to the subtle gleam of light illuminating his golden pelt. It was a feature so unmistakably Wukong, just as was the way his voice could naturally blend between English and ape-speak.

It was a talent not even the king's shadow had been destined to master, and he finds delight tapping oddly at his heart. How adored will the little ones be to learn of such a quaint detail of their king?

"It's been too long," Macaque agrees, trying his hardest to melt into the embrace of his sun. He feels almost uncomfortably warm within the other's arms, trapped in close range to body heat no pile of little ones could dream to accomplish.

Easily had he grown used to seeking warmth in the comfort of the actual sun, forced to make due in the absence of Wukong.

But it mattered no more, he decides joyously, for his sun had finally broke free from that of his captives and returned to tend thoughtfully to the island.

"How are the little ones?"

"Handfuls," Macaque admits, the vulnerable words uttered freely. It is not often he finds himself willing to express his own challenges, but his king deserves to know the mischievous antics of his subjects.

"The newest generation is curious about your plights with Heaven," he comments, voice soft with joy in spite of the teasing lilt to it. "I'm worried I've run out of stories to tell them of your reckless past."

"Reckless!" his king exclaims, faux offense present in not only his voice but the playful rise of his fur. "I'm sure you've only run out of stories because the rest involves your own mischief."

Guilty the king's shadow may be, but the little ones would never let him hear the end of it should they find out such a detail. "Causing trouble is a requirement to be a General of yours."

Wukong's head tilts in exasperated laughter, practically bouncing on his toes. It's only when Macaque finds himself searching the other's gaze that something amiss makes itself known.

"Y'know, Wukong, you don't need glamor with me," Macaque smirks, unused to seeing the other without his blood-red eyes. "And golden eyes, really?"

"They're fashionable!" the king protests, but the glamor remains. Perhaps the Heavens themselves had made a mark on Wukong's mental state as the king's shadow had feared. Yet it was nothing that time surrounded by little ones could not erase. "Besides, I worry I'll scare someone with them."

"The little ones won't care," his shadow declares with an uncharacteristically kind expression. "They'll just be happy of your return."

Something uniquely anxious captivates the his king's gaze then, and suddenly, it feels as though the scene has almost turned monumental.

A shadow and its owner standing face-to-face, one baring an expression of childish hope and the other of raw emotion.

Wukong had always been the type to extend himself amidst moments of concern, to offer sanctuary for others within a joke or grin. But now his king resides, eyes unfocused as though waiting for the Heavens to condemn him once more beneath a mountain.

"You are staying, right?"

But silence is the only reply.

"Stay."

It's a simple plea, a rare one that drips sorrowful and foreign from his tongue.

Long buried is his pride, forgotten amidst the demanding voices of their subjects that the Great Sage return forever to the domain he proclaimed to be his home. They'd begged Macaque to be merciful and allow them to meet a king they'd only known through the shadow's tales of Wukong, as though their protector had any ability to rise against the Heavens and rescue the chaotic monkey.

Their demand to meet the grand deity had only barely faded in passing time, still eager to see for themselves of the courageous and caring tendencies that had instated Wukong as the island's king in the first place.

The same tendencies and familiar habits that Macaque could never imitate nor perfect to his own liking.

His destiny lies comfortably in between the lines of Wukong's own tales, and there is a reason he remains nothing if not the shadow of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. His job will forever define itself as someone unfearful to stand alongside his sun and protect whomever Wukong wishes.

It was the very reason Macaque had agreed to never stray far from Flower Fruit Mountain in the absence of his king, ordered to protect the kingdom and upkeep the morale of Wukong's subjects that eventually things would be okay. That their king would return soon and beg for forgiveness for ever abandoning his adoring kin.

He is but a monkey who has spent centuries watching the island's population grow from younglings until they eventually pass into the afterlife. And one who had grown to confuse selfishness with selflessness, declaring his aching plead to be from the mouths of the ones Macaque protects, and not from the shadow's own heart.

"I can't."

And there.

There exists the crack, the temperamental divide from reason and logic that defines the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. It's the same split that brings upon the banishment of "Sun Wukong, the Handsome Monkey King", and the very one that declares Macaque to be a hopeless fool.

Ego tainted with surprise, terribly so does the warrior wish for his body to lunge forward, for his mind to grasp ahold of the instinct to lash out against the being responsible for his rupturing sanity and his fear of abandonment. So fiercely does he demand to sink to the depths of Diyu, to the level of the Great Sage, and start a fight against one he'd sworn his eternal allegiance to.

Instead he denies himself the waste of breath that is the question of "why".

"You know I can't."

The Sage's mind and expression stand as firm as the stone that had birthed the stubborn ape, position unchanging in the face of his own shadow.

"You can't," the shadow repeats unamused, his ears long having flattened themselves against his head. "The Great Sage, Equal to Heaven, can't return to his home because the Heavens said so."

Grating is the Great Sage's nervous laughter on his shadow's nerves. "I mean, it's more complicated than that, but-"

"Oh, of course. If I found myself equal to Heaven, I too would happily abandon the little ones to instead kneel before a monk," Macaque agrees, voice venomous with spite. "What, is the cost of your pride to be able to live without the weight of responsibility? To find yourself protecting one instead of thousands?"

Wukong's tail flicks, and the warrior mourns for how familiar the gesture stands. Their bond long extends past that of the centuries his king had spent away from the island; a simple twitch of the other's tail still stands as familiar as the route of patrol Macaque had been taking the day his king was condemned to punishment.

The Sage's calm facade had encountered a crack, and soon his mask of humor was to follow. "He saved me."

How viciously does the shadow grin, if only to hide the layers of disappointment rotting beneath his skin. "Saved you? Don't make me laugh. He serves the very deities who damned you beneath that mountain."

Oddly does such a comment affect his king openly, tail now lashing in irritation. "I wouldn't have escaped elsewise."

Lies had always been an awful thing to pour from the king's mouth, so expertly and beautifully crafted to befit whatever narrative the Great Sage would attempt to create. Had the king attempted such a trick to someone else rather than his own shadow, he may have gotten away with it.

"Bastard," the shadow's lips curl back in a snarl. "Don't lie to me. The Heavens could not leave you to rot forever beneath that mountain. But what did you, notoriously impulsive and selfish Great Sage, do? Traded your kingdom, your most loyal subjects, at the first offer of freedom."

"Mihou, I-"

"It's been four years. Four years and not a word from you, even by letter."

It mattered not how keen Macaque is to the fact that the king is not gifted in writing. However, a true ruler, His Wukong, would have learned just for any chance to communicate with his shadow and kingdom.

"Was being able to stretch your legs worth being imprisoned in a worse way? Was it worth having to use glamor with me to cover the fact that you're tortured the moment you refuse a command?"

The king's head swings, as if to further hide the golden headband he'd attempted to conceal with glamor. How foolish Wukong must think his shadow to be to not recognize the odd hint of glamor not only found in his eyes but forehead as well. Little did the ape ever use glamor in the first place, wearing his scars as though to prove his strength against the trials of the world.

"That's enough."

"No," the warrior objects, voice thin with patience. "It's not enough, is it? If it were, you would be begging, swearing to fight the Heavens once more in an attempt to free yourself of this quest. At the very least, you would have found time to visit the ones you've sworn your loyalty to.

"Great Sage you may be," he spits, furious, "But it's been long since you lost the title of 'King'."

"I am still king-"

So desperately does Wukong play into his shadow's grasp, eager to refute the truth with fury.

"Oh that's rich. Remind me of that the next time I have to explain to the little ones why they'll never be able to meet their king in their lifetime. Your absence is soon to outlast the lifespan of those who were young when you disappeared, and your throne has been reduced to nothing but ivy and a broken legacy of what once was. Why should a king need his shadow to describe what His So Gracious Majesty looks like to his subjects? What am I to tell them if you leave now, and your return is when only I have lived long enough to recognize you? When even the island's oldest generation has solely known your looks from murals and your personality from the bitter words of their elders?

"What is to happen when you return as their proclaimed king, and your subjects turn against you? When they mock you for your arrogance or point at me and-"

("Macaque!" one of the little ones, a peach-furred monkey, had once screeched, eager to disturb the warrior's attempts to bask in the evening sun. It had been during a time in which Macaque was still growing used to such a name, "Mihou" having faded from ape-speak. "Why are you not our king?"

It had been a question that had surely taken the shadow by surprise, uncertain he could trust his tongue with answering. Even still, he kept his response lame and tensely guarded. "The throne does not belong to me."

"But you've been our protector for as long as I've lived," they'd chirped, confused. "Is that not what you've said a king is meant to do?"

"Oh, Èzuòjù," Macaque sighed, his laughter gentle and grin exaggerated if only to hide his true exhaustion. "He'll return someday soon, and when he does, you'll realize that I could never upstage the 'Great Monkey King'.")

The warrior wants to snarl at the way his throat closes over the memory that'd occurred nearly a century ago. Unfortunately, Èzuòjù never lived to see the Great Sage in person, passing at the devastatingly small age of fifty-three. The little one's belief he'd meet the grand king had never wavered, however, even as Macaque held his tail during his passing.

How dare Wukong stand tall with the expectation that he will one day return to Flower Fruit Mountain and be allowed to act as though he hadn't abandoned them? The king was already lucky to of not been turned away the instant he stepped onto the mountain with the knowledge that the Great Sage couldn't stay for long.

"What will happen," Macaque breathes, tempting fate to deliver him the consequence of his words. "When you perch atop your throne and your subjects demand that I am more befitting of its seat?"

He tries not to grow surprised at how quickly his king throws the shadow to the ground, a hand grasping mercilessly at Macaque's neck.

Not often had the warrior ever found himself to be the target of the king's unbridled fury, a powerful emotion capable of shaking the Heavens themselves. It's a terrifying thing to stand in the ire of, surely, but not nearly enough to disturb Macaque's spitting anger.

It shouldn't be easy to reflect upon the loyalty both Wukong and Macaque had sworn upon each other with blood and grinned promises, reinforced through late nights of playful bickers and sparring matches. It was such a bond that meant little had the king and his shadow truly argued against one another,  with the exception of the occasional bared teeth or harsh mutter amidst tension. Macaque had always thought that the patience and trust Wukong had earned over the course of their lives would never be able to dissipate at a moment's notice.

And yet, as he lies with his silver fur growing brown with dust, he can't help but find his chest heavy with fear.

Of all beings, Macaque knew better than most that his king was impulsive and stood not for the tainting of his ego. To an on-looker, it may have seemed as though Wukong would follow through his notorious temper and crush his shadow for testing his patience.

But how foolish it would be for the king to exercise his frustrations on the sole being capable of protecting Flower Fruit Mountain from destruction. It could take years, decades even, to fetch the scriptures of the West, and without a celestial monkey's protection, the island would be prey to the thousands Wukong had wronged in the past.

It shouldn't be satisfying to watch the king's eyes alight with fear of his own as his shadow falls limp, Macaque's stance one of gloating nature in spite of the submissive posture.

"Kill me," the warrior demands with a sneer, two words that he prays will shatter that world of the Great Sage and appeal to his shadow's plea for him to stay. "Go on, banish me from this island. Leave the little ones defenseless whilst you cause mischief with your Master and ontourage of demons. Prove me right. Prove to me that your loyalty lies with Buddha and not the innocents you once swore to protect."

Silence and grief is a pitiful look for the king, the shadow decides.

It's cowardice, resigned, and a mere shell of the explosive sun Macaque had learned to seek refuge and comfort within.

"I don't have to prove a thing."

Gone is the weight that had once pinned the shadow, Macaque instinctively shuffling his red scarf to hide the reddened print on his neck. He would not grant the Great Sage the satisfaction nor guilt of knowing he'd caused any bit of damage.

That for a beat, he'd existed as a threat to the safety of someone he'd once grown so close with.

"Bloodshed isn't needed to prove your betrayal," Macaque comments, his note of the Great Sage's inability to look at him an irritation stirring in silence. "You're going back to them."

"I don't have a choice, Mihou-"

How miserable their native language sounds falling from the king's throat.

"Don't."

Macaque's word is not a plea to be reasoned with, more-so a demand born of selfish desire to keep his world from crumbling.

"Great Sage, 'Equal to Heaven' you are not. You stand before your own shadow, fearful of Heaven's power, of what they will do to you should you think of betraying them. Are you too busy hiding behind your Master to understand that the Heavens will not dismiss you once your scriptures are fetched?"

The king's tail flicks, irritated. "I don't have time for this. Master expected me back three minutes ago. I'm a lucky monkey to of not been cursed with aching headaches already."

How benign of the Heavens to not of gifted the king with six ears like his shadow. Maybe then, Wukong would have debated the logical roots of Macaque's growing fears.

"Don't bother with the pleasantries of 'goodbye'," the warrior dismisses as though his stomach doesn't twist at such a thought. "Go make fun with your Master and demonic brothers."

"That's your final word to me?"

"If the Heavens are merciful, your question will be the last words I ever live to hear from you."

A nimbus cloud swirls beneath the tense posture of the king.

Despite Macaque's wishes, it is a staring content that exists as their true bidding of farewell to one another, Wukong disappearing surely to seek affirmation from his new Master that it had been moral to part with his subjects.

Dense ape, the shadow snarls to himself.

So selfish and naive, unfitting to hold the title of king.

It's a poor coconut tree that pays for the king's idiocy, obliterated by the purple flash of shadow magic. Such a childish rampage would have continued if not for a soft chirrupt, gentle and offering of comfort. It dismisses the warrior's rage at an instant, having grown used to bottle his rage in the face of needing to comfort a little one.

Wukong may have been able to run off and slip beneath the ruling thumb of his Master, but he had not dismissed his shadow of the duty to protect the occupants of Flower Fruit Mountain.

"Hey, kiddo, what are you doing all the way out here?"

How the little one could have bared to slip from the comfort of the island's waterfall by themself is beyond Macaque's understanding. Perhaps, the celestial monkey entertains bitterly, the poor thing had grown nervous of their guardian's absence and wanted proof that they had not been abandoned once more.

It is a fear that Macaque finds himself all-too acquainted with.

"Don't worry, little one. Six-Eared Macaque isn't going anywhere."

The young monkey gives a single nod before they nestle themselves atop the shoulders of the island's rightful warrior.

His tail flicks, adrenaline nothing if not prey to the growing flame of anxiety within his chest.

As furious as he is with the selfish king, he finds Flower Fruit Mountain miserable without Wukong lounging about. The king had never failed to grace the island with care and a sense of belonging Macaque could never replace. It'd be weaponized naivety to not identify that it was longing that had weaved itself between his heart and lungs, a longing for someone so incapable and selfish, yet irreplaceable all the same.

And so he struts, making his way back to the caves with ease as though new expectations and responsibility had not found its way onto his back. Conflict would arise from this, he thought, undoubtedly so. Every shadow was needing of a sun to cast it into existence, and every kingdom was doomed to fail without a king.

How foolish, though, to expect a shadow to be both his own host and owner of such a grand title.

[pompomqt]

Journey to the West Chapter 14

Oh man I've really been looking forward to this chapter, one of my favorite dynamic duo's is together at last! So let's get into this chapter of Journey to the West with @journeythroughjourneytothewest shall we?

So it turns out that the person who was calling out to them last time was none other than Sun Wukong, who is still trapped under five phases mountain. So Tripitaka and the hunter go down the mountain to take a look and have a little chat. We finally get to see Sun Wukong again, as he tells Tripitaka that if he gets him out he will protect him on his journey west. And poor Sun Wukong has been there for so long he has all sorts of plant life growing all over him which the Hunter helps him get some of it off, which was nice of him.

Anyways so Sun Wukong explains to Tripitaka that Guanyin converted him to Buddhism in order to aid the scripture pilgrim, and all Tripitaka has to do to free him is lift the tag that Bhudda placed and that he'll handle the rest. So Tripitaka goes up the mountain again until they reach the seal, and he prays to Bhudda that if Sun Wukong is only deceiving him, to not allow him to lift the seal. However Tripitaka lifts the seal no problem, and the tag is immediately blown out of his hands as a voice claiming to be the prison guard of the great sage says they are returning the seal to the Bhudda. So after that Sun Wukong is all like "Please stand back now. Little further... don't know what this thing will do~" And then proceeds to break the mountain and zip over to Tripitaka's location.

So Monkey loads up Tripitaka's luggage and we learn that since he was the BanHorsePlague in Heaven, he has authority over horses, and that they are now terrified of him. So that's fun. So like Guanyin Tripitaka tries to give Sun Wukong a religious name, but he already has one, so Tripitaka gives him a nickname instead. So now Sun Wukong has the nickname 'Pilgrim Sun'.

So seeing that Tripitaka is now in good hands, the hunter takes his leave of them, and with the hunter gone, we get to learn that horses aren't the only animals terrified of Sun Wukong. For a tiger soon approaches, which of course terrifies Tripitaka but delights Sun Wukong, who gleefully says that the tiger is just here to provide him some clothes. So while the tiger is to paralyized with fear from Sun Wukong to move, Sun Wukong wacks it with his staff, and proceeds to skin it. Man, tigers have it just as rough as dragons in this book... This both terrifies and impresses Tripitaka, and he proceeds to fall off his horse for the first- but certainly not the last time.

Once Sun Wukong is finished fashioning a temporary outfit out of the tiger skin the two carry on with their journey, having some casual conversation along the way. Where Sun Wukong explains how awesome both he and his staff are. Aww it's nice to see these two getting along so well. So they find a find a house to rest at, and Sun Wukong proceeds to bang on the door, and completely freaks out the owner of the house with his frightening appearance, but calms down once Tripitaka and his beautiful face explains that monkey is his disciple. They should probably have Tripitaka be the one to knock on doors from now on...

Anyways so the old man eventually agrees to let them stay with him, and we learn that Sun Wukong actually knows this family, apparently they gathered firewood around where he was imprisoned sometimes. And it turns out the Tripitaka also has a connection to this family, since they share the same surname "Chen". After that lovely conversation Sun Wukong requests a bath for both him and Tripitaka and also some needle and thread so he can finish making his tiger pants. He also steals Tripitaka's shirt while he's at it, which Tripitaka let's him keep.

The next morning the duo head out again after one last meal. So the two continue to travel together for a while, and seem to be getting along just fine. But all of that comes to an end when they are attacked by six bandits. Tripitaka is once again paralyzed by fear and falls off his horse again, but Monkey isn't fazed, he picks Tripitaka off the ground and tells him not to worry, that these fine gentlemen are just here to give them some clothes and travel allowance. And Tripitaka is just like "Uh, I think you misheard them, they are robbing us!" But Monkey's all like "Just watch our stuff, I'll handle this." Despite Monkey's reassurances though, Tripitaka is still worried about him, he's just a little guy after all. But he will soon find out that he was concerned for the wrong person.

So Monkey confronts the bandits who claim to be the 'King's of the Highway', but Monkey who is an actual King, is unimpressed. Regardless he still tries to make a deal with them, if they share their loot with him they'll let him live. This enrages the bandits, so they all attack at once... to absolutely zero effect. After letting the bandits have their fun wailing on him for a while, it's Monkey turn. So he takes out his staff and proceeds to beat all the bandits to death, before stripping them of their clothes and valuables and returning to Tripitaka.

However despite Monkey's expectations Tripitaka isn't pleased that Monkey murdered them all. And the two proceed to have a huge argument, with Tripitaka saying all life is valuable, and that even the city wouldn't have sentenced them to death if they had been tried. And that if Monkey had killed them where there were witnesses then Tripitaka would get in trouble to. While Monkey says that if he hadn't killed them they would have killed Tripitaka, and that he had killed a whole bunch of people back when he was the king of Flower Fruit Mountain anyways. Which Tripitaka points out that his lack of self control is why he was punished under a mountain for five hundred years in the first place.

After Tripitaka says that if he still insists on practicing violence that he can't be a Buddhist or travel west, Monkey quits the journey right there and then and zooms off. Since he has no way of contacting Monkey or bringing him back, Tripitaka resigns to continue the journey alone, but just as he starts walking again he comes across an old lady holding a silk garment and a floral cap.

So Tripitaka explains his situation and how Sun Wukong ran off, so the old lady gives him the shirt and cap, and teaches him the 'Tight-Fillet Spell' and tells him to give Sun Wukong the cap and shirt when he returns and recite the spell if he refuses to obey him. And with that the old lady reveals herself to have been Guanyin, and heads off East to try and catch up to Monkey.

Speaking of Monkey, having left Tripitaka he decided to drop by an old friends place before returning home and is currently having tea with the Dragon King. And Monkey is complaining to him about how Tripitaka scolded him, but after telling a short story the Dragon King persuades him to give the mission another chance. So Monkey takes off again, heading back to Tripitaka where he crosses paths with Guanyin, and tells her he is going back to Tripitaka.

So Monkey finds Tripitaka sitting dejectedly on the side of the road. So Monkey explains that he went to have tea with the Dragon King, which Tripitaka finds a little hard to believe that he managed to travel so far and back in less than an hour. Monkey however explains about his cloud somersault, and offers to get Tripitaka some food. Which Tripitaka declines saying he still has some food left. So Monkey goes to get some food from the bag when he finds the silk shirt and floral cap that Guanyin had given him. Tripitaka lies and says he wore them in his childhood and that they will allow him to recite scriptures wihtout having to learn them and perform rituals without having to practice them. Sun Wukong asks to put them on, and Tripitaka says if they fit he can keep them. Once Monkey puts on the garments, Tripitaka decides to give this 'Fillet Tightening spell' a shot, and begins to recite it.

Monkey begins rolling on the ground in agony as Tripitaka recites the spell several times, eventually Tripitaka stops once Monkey starts gripping the cap since he is afraid he'll break it. And Monkey finds that a thing metal band has welded itself to his head, and that he can't get it off no matter what he tries. When Monkey takes out his staff to try and pry it off, Tripitaka starts reciting the spell again. Eventually Tripitaka feels sorry for him and stops the spell. Monkey then accuses Tripitaka of putting a spell on him, which Tripitaka denies saying he was just reciting the 'Tight-Fillet Sutra". So Monkey demands he recite it again to see what happens, and immediately regrets it when his head starts hurting again.

So Tripitaka asks if Monkey will listen to him now, and stop acting unruly, and Monkey says he will. However as soon as Tripitaka has his back turned Monkey takes out his staff and tries to murder Tripitaka with it. Causing Tripitaka to once again begin reciting the spell until Monkey cries uncle and says he's learned his lesson. So Monkey asks who taught him that spell, and when Tripitaka explains about the old woman, Monkey immediately draws the conclusion that it was Guanyin. Monkey wants to find Guanyin and confront her, but Tripitaka points out that she also knows the Tight Fillet Spell since she was the one who taught it to him so that confrontation is unlikely to go well for him.

So with all that settled, Monkey says he'll follow Tripitaka west, as long as Tripitaka doesn't treat that spell as a plaything to torment him with. So with that settled the two once again head out on their Journey West.

Current Sun Wukong Stats: Names/Titles: Monkey, The Stone Monkey, The Handsome Monkey King, Sun Wukong (Monkey awakened to the void), Bimawen (Banhorseplague), The Great Sage Equal To Heaven and Pilgrim Sun. Immortality: 5 Weapon: The Compliant Golden Hooped Rod Abilities: 72 Transformations, Cloud-Somersault, Ability to transform his individual hairs, super strength, Ability to Summon Wind, Water restriction charm, and the ability to change into a huge war form, ability to duplicate his staff, ability to immobilize others, the ability to put others to sleep, and the Fiery eyes, Diamond Pupils and intimidating horses. Demon Kill Count: 1+ Unknown Number of Minions Human Kill Count: 6 God's Defeated: 19 + Unknown number Defeats: 2 Crime List: Robbery, Murder, Mass Murder, Arson, Theft, Coercion, Threatening a Government Official, Resisting Arrest, Assault, Forgery, Employee Theft, False Imprisonment, Impersonating a Government Official, Treason and attempted murder. Cry Count: 3 Mountains Trapped Under: 1

Current Tang Sanzang stats: Names/Titles: River Float, Xuanzang, Tang Sanzang, Tripitaka Abilities: Curing Blindness, making branches point a certain direction (allegedly), reciting sutras. Cry Count: 10 Tight Fillet Spell Uses: 4 Paralyzed by fear: 4 Bandit Problems: 2 Kidnapped by demons: 1 Falling Off Horses: 2

[lmk-oc-competition]

LMK OC COMPETITION - ROUND 2

Yuèliàng belongs to @sun4ndmo0n

Huilian belongs to @hummingbird13

Learn more about them below the cut!!

Yuèliàng:

Yuèliàng was created for the purpose to accompany Chang'e, as while she does have her robo bunnies it's lonely without anyone to talk to in person, so Chang'e made a more humanoid robot... But of course still bunny-themed it. Can't leave the bunnies out.

Yuèliàng goes by mirror pronouns. Yuèliàng is a friendly, optimistic, and playful robot, who's main purpose is to just entertain and socialize. Yuèliàng sometimes appears in Chang'e's cooking show to help keep the energy up. They would be great with children, despite the fact there's not really any children on the moon..

Huilian:

Huilian is generally cool, calm, and collected. Although she may seem like a regular fairy from Heaven, she has had hundreds of years of cultivating and training and is perfectly capable of defending herself and others if the need arises.

Originally a little girl who drowned in the eastern sea, she was reincarnated into a flower nymph and was found by Heaven. Fearing what would happen if she were to be left alone, the Jade Emperor forced Nezha to take her in as his disciple, much to his chagrin.

After Xiaotian/MK was done fighting the Demon Bull King, Heaven sent Huilian down to investigate. After finding out that a mortal now possessed Sun Wukong’s powers, she immediately reported back to the celestial court. They did not take it well and ordered Huilian keep an eye on the mortal, acting as Heaven’s eyes and ears on the situation.

[digitalagepulao]

since in my Expedition AU i'm shuffling up the team meet-ups, i'm thinking that pretty much the whole team is assembled before they leave the Tang Empire frontier. in the book, Wukong is acquired in a mountain that stands right at the border, and i'm making him the last one in my au

so i'm thinking it goes Bailong > Sha > Zhu > Wukong

Ao Lie eats Tripitaka's horse when he and his disciples stop by the river to refuel their waterskins. the attack scares and scatters them, leading them to get caught by demons. disciples get eaten, and Ao Lie overhears the whole celebration and investigates, and hearing Tripitaka is next on the menu, he goes "oh i fucked up!". So in he goes to rescue Tripitaka and goes "yeah so i'm your disciple now, so sorry about the horse but uuuh how's this?" and boom horse time;

Sha Wujing is recruited as Ao Lie and Tripitaka struggle through the Gobi desert stretch of the track. Wujing attacks their traveling group, which gets them separated and Ao Lie is desperately running around trying to flee from the massive demon that seems to swim in the dunes like water. Tripitaka almost gets eaten but Ao Lie goes dragon mode and flies them out of reach. Due to heaven's parole terms, he shouldn't be in the skies like that so he almost gets arrested before he argues his case, and the local heavenly soldiers go "oh wait, that demon is meant to be a disciple too, Guan Yin came by to tell us, just call him by his byname." boom, Sha acquired and he leads them to an oasis to recover and continue the trip;

Zhu Bajie gets found after the group has to, head closer to the Northern Tibet range to get their bearings again and, another travel group. Safety in numbers and all, even if they now have a massive demon and a horse dragon tagging along. They find the Gao Village and overhear the troubles along the streets, and when they get some lodging, good old Elder asks for Tripitaka to try his hand at exorcising the demon. Bailong and Wujing tag along just in case. It ends up with a long debacle and lots of praying from Tripitaka, Ao Lie causes a minor flood to get Ganglie to show up and fix the ruined fields, a bit of fighting is had, Wujing and Ganglie get into a little eating bet for him to sign the annulment papers which Gao has a little cry about, a bit more fighting, then they figure out he was recruited by Guan Yin as well, and boom mister Zhu Wuneng is acquired;

Aaaaand for our beloved Sun Wukong, things go rather as usual, the group is tracking along when they get pounced by a tiger. The group makes quick work of it cus of course, which ends up being a hunter's mark and after a small talk, they receive lodging from Boquin. Wujing praises his leatherwork and Bajie bemoans not being able to have a taste of their host's lovely cooking. At night, Boquin overhears the disciples speaking about Tripitaka's need for fake papers after they are outside of the country and their attempts to fake some themselves. He intends to confront them in the morning, but Tripitaka pacifies the father's ghost after prayers and Boquin is now indebted to them, so he promises to lead them to a secret hunter's path so the border sentries won't spot them. The path goes through Five Phases Mountain which no one but the locals dare to tread, which finding and releasing Wukong goes about by the book, with some added horror stories about the Great Sage who wreaked havoc in Heaven centuries past, and the disciples' very reasonable concern and fear of being near such a being, much less have him tag along.

[centuryberry]

For @peachshadows / @terrible-leviathan

I wrote a little something for the Sundown AU + Xiaodan. I hope you like it!

MK didn’t know how it all happened. In one moment, he was in Flower Fruit Mountain. In the next, he’s in the middle of the marketplace near Pigsy’s Noodle shop. 

Except it’s wrong. 

A place that should be so familiar suddenly wasn’t. Demons were bigger and more prevalent, dominating the streets and the food stalls. The few humans MK managed to catch sight of were fearful. They all kept their heads down and scurried to their destinations as fast as they could. Not that it helped the unfortunate few who caught the attention of a few mean demons. The poor humans were tripped, pushed, and mocked in front of MK’s eyes. And no one even batted an eye to all of it.

Humans aren’t treated well here - wherever here is, MK quickly realized with a sinking feeling that made wrap his arms defensively around his chest. The only reason he wasn’t being singled out and pushed around despite being so obviously alone and out-of-place was because of the monkey demon traits he had as a side-effect to inheriting Wukong’s powers. 

MK wanted to leave this nightmare of a place more than ever. Usually, he’d stick his nose into the situation and try to make it better, stand up for the little guys and save the day like the Monkie Kid always did, but MK didn’t have all the information. 

“Look. Listen. After you gather enough, make a plan. Then you can act,” MK could hear Macaque advise him. “If you don’t, you might make the situation worse and get hurt by being reckless. Or cause hurt.”

It was a bitter pill to swallow, but MK followed his mentor’s advice and kept his head down as best he could. 

That worked for only about a few minutes until MK came across Red Son’s familiar, scowling face. He’d been so relieved to see someone he recognized that he instinctively hugged the other demon without taking note of the slight differences to Red Son’s appearance.

“Wha-? Unhand me, peasant! How dare you touch the heir of the Bull King Family so casually!”

That was a mistake. 

Thankfully, MK was used to Red Son going after his head, being his ex-nemesis and all that, so he dodged all of the attacks pretty easily and kept mostly to the defensive. It wasn’t until one of Red Son’s strikes came too close to MK’s chest when he saw red. The staff came out.

How dare he try to hurt her, something sharp and feral snarled in MK’s mind as he threw Red Son down with enough force that the ground cracked. He lifted his staff above his head.

He didn’t know, something that sounded more like himself reminded him. It was what guided MK’s strike to hit right next to Red Son’s head instead of delivering the final blow. A warning shot. MK even drove the point home by stressing that he was holding back. 

“I’m going to get off, but you’re going to have to promise not to murder me, okay?” 

It was a relief when Red Son nodded. The aggression and anger was gone now. Only shock remained as he allowed MK to help him up. MK didn’t think much of how the demon’s shock melted into something softer and admiring.

That was another mistake. 

What followed was a series of events that ended up with MK restrained and dragged over to the feets of the Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan where Red Son passionately declared his intention to court MK (why) despite already being engaged to Mei (what) but that apparently wasn’t a problem (how) so the courtship was a go. 

No one, of course, asked for MK’s input or opinion about the entire thing, not that he didn’t try. It was beginning to dawn on MK that this world wasn’t his own the more the Bull Family talked. Demons dominated both the Celestial and Mortal realms after Sun Wukong won in his battle against Heaven. After overthrowing the Jade Emperor, he took the throne and ruled all of the Three Realms ever since. MK was truly far from home and he didn’t know how to go back. 

Worse yet, they were all under the assumption that MK was Wukong’s son. 

“I’m not the Monkey King’s son!” MK insisted again and again, but his words were either dismissed or outright ignored. 

The longer he remained trapped and tied up in the Bull Family’s mercy, the more MK became conscious of the quick little heartbeats against his chest. Like hummingbird wings. He tried not to make it obvious that his arms and tail were curling defensively around something - someone - precious. 

Thump-thump. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

Still beating. Still breathing.

Still sleeping.

Despite the entire situation, a helpless smile stole across MK’s face. Sun Xiaodan may look like a mini-Macaque, but she inherited her Baba’s habit of sleeping like a rock. Even all the fighting and the screaming that went around her, little A-Dan remained blissfully oblivious to the chaos as she snoozed the day away. 

“What amused you so, beloved?”

MK’s smile dropped at Red Son’s question. This version of him seemed similar to his own at first, but now he was looking at MK with a fierce and almost covetous devotion that his own Red Son never aimed his way. At best, MK would receive reluctant approval. And “beloved”? No one ever called him that before.

(It should fill him with candlelight warmth, the tender way Red Son called him “beloved”. Maybe in another situation, it would have. But now, with the magical ropes keeping him in place, it only choked him like smoke in a closed space.)

MK looked down and kept quiet. He tried not to care at the flicker of disappointment that flashed across the demon’s handsome face. Any moment of guilt or compassion wouldn’t have mattered anyways since Red Son’s determination to win MK over seemed to come back stronger.

“The Emperor and Empress are here for you,” he announced after clearing his throat. “Come. They are with my parents.”

Seeing Wukong and Macaque was like watching a remake of a favorite film. The actors and the characters were the same, but there were enough differences that made them “off” to MK’s eyes - their extravagant clothing, their postures, and the lack of scars. All of the differences made MK pause and stare. 

DBK pushed MK forward to Wukong with a soft snort. “Brother, I believe we found your cub.”

“…Cub?”

There was a heavy weight behind that question. MK could hear the undertone of doubt and a bit of displeasure. Relief filled MK at that. Finally, someone who will clear up the fact that he’s not who everyone is saying he is. 

“I’m not his cub,” MK insisted again. Or tried to. 

“Bud,” a hand clamped down MK’s shoulder, cutting him off before he could start his sentence, “so this is where you’ve been. You gave me and your Baba quite the scare.” 

Like his Macaque, this one was a good actor. Every movement was smoothly executed in a way that made it seem almost habitual, as if he’s scolded and fussed over MK many times before. 

Play along, the subtle squeeze from the hand on his shoulder warned him.

MK closed his mouth and stayed silent as Macaque smoothly handled the situation. Even with Red Son’s possessive claim that MK should stay in the Bull Clan’s territory during the entire duration of the courtship, the Shadow Monkey managed to whisk him away without much trouble.

When all three of them were far enough from the Bull Clan’s territory, MK and Wukong broke the silence at the same time. 

“Moonlight, he’s not mine!”

“I’m not his cub!”

In that moment, their eyes met and MK felt a sense of camaraderie with this strange version of his mentor. At this very moment, the two of them were fighting for the same truth to be heard. For once, MK didn’t feel alone in his frustration.

Macaque’s lips pulled back into a snarl as he turned to glare at his husband. “Do not try to lie to me, Wukong. Not when the proof is right there. He has your powers. Anyone with spiritual awareness can sense it. He is yours.” He stopped and visibly reeled in his anger when he caught sight of MK staring. He softened his posture and expression. “And that makes him mine as well despite the circumstances. What’s done is done. So stop denying it Wukong. Please.”

MK felt a little sick. “Wait, you….think that he cheated on you and had me? But that’s not true at all!” Other world or not, he was not going to be the cause of Wukong and Macaque’s breakup. Not after he saw how hard his own Wukong and Macaque fought to piece their broken relationship back together through effort and healing. “For the last time, Monkey King is not my dad!”

MK wanted to say more but he stiffened when he felt a shift under his shirt. Wukong and Macaque noticed it too, falling silent and watching intently as a small head popped out. 

Xiaodan blinked sleepily and clutched at the edge of MK’s shirt in a tiny grip. Her six, lotus-shaped ears fluttered as she wiped the sleep from her eyes with her free hand. 

“Mmn. Mama? Baba?”

Oh. 

Oh no.

Of all the times to wake up, why did she choose now?!

MK avoided looking at the celestial monkeys in front of him. He didn’t want to see the expressions on their faces. Instead, he focused on the person who mattered the most to him in the world. 

“Hi. Hey,” he cooed down at Xiaodan and pasted on his best smile. She didn’t have to know how stressed and anxious he was. She didn’t have to know how far from home they were. “Did you have a good nap, A-Dan?”

‘A-Dan,’ MK managed to catch Macaque mouth to himself from the corner of his eye as Xiaodan nodded. There were unshed tears in the shadow demon’s eyes as he continued to stare at the baby monkey who looked so much like him. 

Xiaodan caught sight of both Wukong and Macaque and brightened up immediately. She reached out for them and chirped. “Mama! Baba!”

Wukong made a strangled noise from the back of his throat. He almost didn’t catch his mate as Macaque’s knees buckled from under him. They both continued to stare at Xiaodan as if she brought the first rays of sunlight after an endless night. 

The longer Xiaodan’s chirps and calls went unanswered, the smaller her smile became until she looked up to MK. 

“Gege?” What’s wrong? Her expression seemed to ask, completely unaware that her innocent call for reassurance hit the final nail to MK’s coffin. 

“Gege,” he heard Macaque repeat breathlessly to Wukong. “She called him -

“Yeah, I heard,” Wukong said numbly. “She’s - He’s - They’re -

“Ours.” It sounded like a victory when it left Macaque’s lips. It sounded like an answer to prayer. “They’re ours.”

[vegalocity]

Ok but like the oblivion au-

They do get into heaven. Via Nezha. Like, LBD still happens, and the sumadi fire. Mk is kinda like, “Ok, so imma put brain washing everyone on hold.” And he meets Nezha when the time comes.

Months later, when shit goes down, he brings in Nezha via Wukong, and gets him under. Using a special track for celestials. And boom. Celestial realm is his.

.....

Ayo wtf are you spying on @unseelie-robynx and I's discord Dms or smth?

Ok but actually Nezha being involved is absolutely part of the whole thing as it goes. Admittedly- this whole thing DOES happen after LBD, the Oblivion series in its canon is post-LBD but pre-Bull Family officially calling it quits for now on the world domination thing (I mean ive always been of the mind that the quick turn around on the villains is to the show's detriment but granted how short a runtime it has they have to work with very little and i respect that)

But in the Bad end/Tyrant Prince timeline, Nezha does in fact get involved. Because- well... the Celestials aren't SO detached that they don't notice a city suddenly being ENTIRELY run by Sun Wukong's successor who's now running around calling himself a prince.

And since he has a history with Qi Xiaotian, Nezha is sent to investigate. By this point there aren't speakers lining the outside of the city streets just yet, fully pumping the air with a low level oblivion high to keep everyone placid and happy, but in most shops and public/government buildings it's being very softly played, so Nezha as he does his investigating isn't... really finding anything too odd. People seem to be going around just as normal.

And it's so... oddly tranquil... the kind of sensation that makes you just... want to not cause trouble for other people, just go about your day and be kind. (and the fact that that thought is so eloquent and dictated doesn't occur at this point) And Nezha is of course lured into such a state of 'well this is fine actually' that he doesn't see any real danger in approaching Xiaotian himself to check in.

Nezha leaves Xiaotian's new home, some old abandoned estate that he was in the middle of restoring with the help of Red Son and Long Xiaojiao, positive that this new direction the city was being taken in was for the best. In fact he was ready to immediately return to the celestial realm and leave a glowing report on the matter. Because Qi Xiaotian is truly a VERY well meaning person and he's so very aware of the issues that mortals face from his own humble beginnings so he can be trusted to look out for the people of the city.

He doesn't realize the thoughts in his head don't sound like his own internal voice until he's just beyond city limits, and the sun has set, when it was high in the sky when he had entered.

In the Tyrant Prince canon- he only notices this because it was a slip up in Xiaotian's messier Prince Days, he had forgotten to tell him to fully disregard and reason away anything like gaps in time and other such oddities. So when Nezha realizes he's missing SEVERAL hours that don't relate to the information he had- and trying to think about the particulars of the conversation he'd JUST been part of... the details become fuzzy like he's remembering something from thousands of years ago.

And it scares him.

He doesn't return to the celestial realm, he's afraid that in that missing time something was put in his head that would make him a danger-

So he just...doesn't go back. That thing you mentioned in the ask? That's like his biggest fear during all of this 'tyrant prince' stuff, that he might be used as a sleeper agent, a cataclysm that would give the child unprecedented control over the celestial realm.

He makes it to safety in canon- and in fact it's his testimony that shuts down the entire celestial realm into quarantine, nobody allowed in or out of the human realm.

and it also catches the ear of someone that might be able to do more than just watch with nervous eyes as to what may happen next. Someone with a personal stake in this as a dear friend is caught in this web.

Someone that may grow fed up with this sooner rather than later.

[cloud-somersault]

It’s interesting then that while Constellations!Macaque is usually the one opting for more honesty with MK and confronting things he’s also the one who told Wukong that they should wait on telling MK about him being a Celestial Primate until they have more info 🤔 I can see that maybe in part he wants to have that background to have a better explanation for MK when the time comes but also. Idk. I’m not sure what more info they can get without involving MK. I guess I’m just expecting something to go wrong for them here 😅

(Oh! And in the Constellations!Covenant au Macaque also wants to keep MK only on FFM and not introduce him to the Mortal Realm, if I’m remembering that right?)

There's one major reason for Macaque wanting to wait to tell MK the truth about his origin, and it's because there's too many missing pieces there. Wukong gave Macaque the basis to figure things out, and with the info that MK was born on FFM, is a celestial primate, and was born from soil, Macaque has arrived at the conclusion that someone or something took MK away.

There could be a threat, and so Macaque doesn't want to tell MK yet because he and Wukong might have to tackle that threat and deal with it and he doesn't want MK involved in that. He's especially wary because of how gods are and how they can come up with schemes centuries in the making. He's worried about MK's well-being, but if he had all the answers, he'd definitely tell MK right now.

The info they can get without involving MK is actually quite substantial. MK doesn't remember his birth at all because he was a baby sweet boy, but there is an entity that hears and sees everything: Heaven. And so, Macaque is thinking of starting there.

And of course something will probably go wrong. But! that's a story for another time LMFAO

Oh! In that AU, Macaque wants to keep MK to FFM because he is magicless and won't be able to help MK if something happened to him. It would be up to Wukong alone. It's defintitely because of his own fear that Macaque would want MK to stay on FFM only. And I think he'd be honest in telling MK what happened between himself and Wukong, but he definitely would be against MK leaving the protection of the mountain. So he'd just be overprotective.

[dxwnxdusk]

Is there truth to be had after all these years? | V1 : The obvious redemption arc. Or just an Arc where Azure was putting his own plan on hold (not the one to save his brothers) but when the gang is free so is Sun Wukong. Though Azure still has the scroll and he's not keen on giving it up just yet. However, he confronts him. Demanding answers, he wants to know why. Of course....Yellow Tusk and Peng will not yield like Azure, forcing him to see the other side of the spectrum. Forcing him to put his own two brothers away that he spent centuries trying to rescue. He wants nothing more than to bring the jade emperor down, look at how many have suffered even now! Why!? Why won't anyone do anything about it!? In which Wukong keeps Azure under a close eye, trying to show him a path other than the one for revenge...or worse.

I'm ten times the emperor Jade was! | V2 : The world is in dissaray, the balance is broken and a new emperor has risen. Hail to the Emperor. However, even so, Azure has taken control of heaven and by law it's armies as well. Many expect him to ruin things but Azure begins taking careful steps, seeking only to help, like he has all along. Now a God himself, he has to grasp unimaginable power, unveiling the words of the late emperor. Azure doesn't go after the group that did try to stop him, he doesn't punish those who tried. He knows why they did, he knows. But even still with his newfound power he begins setting out to fix what it is he wanted. To help people. But Azure is beginning to notice that at times his actions do not feel like his own, or that he does things that are far out of character for himself. Doubt and fear are a powerful weapon, especially when they're about yourself.

The sun, beautiful and dangerous in all its glory | V3 : JTTW VERSE LETS GOOO

The Azure Beast | V4 : Their plans ruined, cast out and unknowing of the fate of two of their brothers. The trio wandered, eventually the gods did seek them out, unknowns to Azure is that his two remaining brothers were sealed away. Enraged, the demon attacked the gods, unawares that only a few miles away was the group that was supposed to do it, the one who was supposed to have sealed all three away. The pilgrims found the Azure Lion, quite literally. A towering beast, a curse that was carved into the demons very bones, reveting him to his most feral state. Nothing more than a miserable beast, still with a lingering conscience. Mourning over the loss of his brothers. Despite their original goal, seeing the gods curse in action, they could not bring themselves to do anything else. For it was no longer nessecary. But they did not bring him with. Now? Centuries later. The giant lion still stalks those lands, that have slowly drawn closer to the city. It's only a matter of time before the inevitable.

[sunshine-scented]

Okay this might sound weird but forbidden love trope with sun Wukong, macaque and redson, to be more specific maybe the readers family doesn't trust the monkey bois becuz of their past and for the redson maybe a family fued if you don't mind! Thanks~

Mhnn it's not weird at all ♡. It's adorable on how you think puhuhu~

❀ Got a secret, can you keep it? ❀

: Forbidden love life

: Sun wukong, Macaque, Red son x gn! Reader

: Fluff and a bit suggestive on Macaque's part, though, I don't think you'll mind~♡

Sun wukong

Your parents despise the monkey King with a burning passion

Even though he's know to be a heroic idol to many, that doesn't mean that he's a relatively good person

By that they mean that even if he's heroic, that doesn't change the fact that he's a childish mischievous trickster, completely irresponsible and just a nuisance

They don't want to tell you any stories about him for they fear that you'll idolize and be just like him

So imagine his shock when you confronted that you literally had no idea of him on one of your nightly dates

Utter silence, which was concerning cause this is WUKONG!

And then he won't stop babling about how amazing he is, like dude, stfu

Night dates were to be expected for the both of you

While he's disappointed that he can't show off that yes, you are dating the legendary monkey King: great sage equal to heaven

He doesn't want to lose you either

Never

So he'll gladly do so if it means that he could see you smile and laugh at his dumb jokes

However, that's only if you're living on the same house as your parents

If you have your own house, then it's like a normal relationship (although, I don't know how normal a relationship is with a monkey humanoid but go off)

Once your parents come visit you, he's banned for being near because you don't want the two of you to get caught

Which sucks cause he's literally clingy as hell

So when they finally leave for a TWO DAY STAY he cries and whines about how being away from you was, and u quote, "worse than living on a furnace for 9000 years"

"Oh? So you're saying that you'd like to revisit that memory?"

"I- WHEN DID I EVER SAY THAT???"

Six eared Macaque

To your parents, he's seen as a self centered and egotistical bastard who only wants to make people do the things he wants

But they aren't as worried like with Monkey King cause he's presumed dead

Though ever since that there's now word about how he's seen on the streets and defeated a shadow demon of some sort

Your parents are literally on high alert right now

When he knew about that he isn't really welcomed on your family, it kind of hurt a bit but he brushed it off literally right after

I mean come on, who needs those extras when he could have the main course ♡

And plus he could easily skidaddle into the shadows once necessary, plus, it's cute on how to try to lie your way out of your parents when they ask who you were talking too

Very smug about it as well and literally won't stop bringing it on topic when he gets the chance

Also likes to use this whole forbidden love thing as entertainment

When you're on family gatherings, you could feel a head lay on your lap below the table, and met with cheeky eyes staring right at you with a finger on his lips

It was fine until you start to feel hands all over your legs and soft purring vibrating through them

As much as you wanna coo on how touchy he was being for not seeing you in only 10 minutes, you had to stay still or your family will catch on

This continued on and was durable

Until he started to nibble all over you

Even so as to pulling your non dominant hand below the table and nibble on that as well, with little licks from here and there

This man was just begging for attention, and it was getting harder to compose yourself

When that whole, torturous, ordeal was over. You scolded him for almost getting you two caught

But then he just shut you up with a kiss and forced you down the bed to cuddle (what did you think he was gonna do? Kikiki)

Red son

Everyone knows of what the Demon Bull King's family did to the streets and almost tried to concur the world so it's no surprise their so hyper aware on them as well

Red's also a tad disappointed that he can't show off to your parents but that didn't matter, as long as you're there then he's happy

In a way, you guys have this Romeo and Juliet type of relationship

You sneak out to visit and go on dates with him, late night conversations and maybe just laying below a tree in each other's arms while he complains about how annoying his friends are

Turns out they were the ones who forced him to confess first and it's really made you laugh while his face blew up in red

He really likes to hold you in his arms in very calm and just moments where your presence is enough to still the whole world

Your parents often wonder why you keep staying up late and getting more exhausted by the morning, but you just excused on saying you're doing projects

Didn't really satisfy them that much cause you were just constantly on your phone smiling and often ushered them outside of the room when it was night time

But before they could even ask, you once again brushed the dirt under the carpet and led them outside of your room again

Letting out a sigh in relief, you excitedly turn to your phone and checked your messages

"How would you feel if we went to get some ice cream tonight?"

"That would be wonderful ♡"

Meanwhile, he's now grinning and immediately starts to walk towards your house, bouquet in hand

I apologize if this wasn't to your liking, some issues were present so I wasn't really in the mood for love :((

[newkatzkafe2023]

Ok after reading that

Now I want a meet up with their team/friends XD

HOW WOULD THEY REACT TO SEEING BOTH QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS AND QUEEN OF THE APES ARE WUKONG'S WIVES??????

WHAT IS THE MONKEY KING DOING ON HIS FREE TIME?!?!?!??!🤣😧🤯

(Lmk Wukong) The panic the public feels is so bad it reached two other realms😥🫣. Everyone was either Filming or getting ready to evaluate Megaspolis as both Goddesszilla and Queen kong show up in the city today. Tang saw from outside pigsy's restaurant and his soul totally left his body at this and everyone ran outside to see the Chaos. Mk, Mei, and Redson were stuck between being Scared and being amazed upon seeing you and Queen Kong.

(Wukong) HEY GUYS I WANTED YOU TO MEET GODDESSZILLA AND QUEEN KONG MY 2 WIVES!!!!!🥰🥰

Mk and Mei were loosing it all over the place with stars in their eyes🤩

Redson was literally praying, I kid you, not he was praying as he hid in the men's bathroom. He called his parents, saying his potentially final good byes and that he always loved them😱

Sandy waved and welcomed you both, as he was very happy to meet you both.

Pigsy had to calm down a screaming Tang as the Scholar totally loses his mind😨

Elsewhere the Spider queen was discussing with her family/minions about moving out of the city Feeling like they were the ones in danger now😱

DBK and PIF share a look of shock as they listen Redson's semi-tearful rambling as the can see Goddesszilla and Queen kong from out their window

The Brotherhood absolutely moved out of the city as they don't want any of the ancient radiation heat from both of you😬

The Mayor's Whole body was so pale that People mistaken him as a ghost😱 and wants to join lady bone demon in her gravesite😨🥶

Jin and Yin were fanboying all over the place, throwing themselves as party as they asked you both for autographs🤩

A fearful Nezha spread the word to all of heaven, well it wasn't news, It was a clearly very much a warning, a warning that flipped the heavens on their heads for a good few centuries to come😬😬😬

And finally,Macaque😰 is really missing being dead right about now, as he feels you and your sisters glare on him😠

(MKR Wukong) The monk had a really bad stroke upon seeing you and your sister queen kong😂🤣. He and Pigsy noticed that he was in a better mood lately, and more Reasonable to deal with and immediately something was up. Sandy was just happy the death threats Wukong would give him occasionally stopped. Then one morning the pilgrims were asleep until the ground shook like their was an earthquake. This made pigsy Shat and piss his pants as he paled and scream like a girl upon what he saw, it was you and Queen kong, and Sandy straight up pale like seriously he was ash at that point. Then Finally the monk who had a heart attack and Stroke at the same time, as the saw you and Queen kong. Finally, Wukong showed up and excitedly introduced you both as his 2 beautiful wives. That's right. He absolutely got married behind the monk and heavens back, and if they know what's good for them, they better not do anything😈.

(NR Wukong) Li felt a serious mingrain form upon meeting Wukong's 2 wives, aka you and your sister Queen kong. Meanwhile, everybody was willing out and had so many questions for both of you, Li and Su's friend group. Welcome you both with open arms. Queen Kong was so happy to make new friends as she talked to everyone about practically everything, and shared stories about when you both were younger. You, of course didn't join the conversations, but that doesn't mean you weren't listening as you were just laying next to Wukong, but you were very happy that your sister had come out of her shell and made friends.

Meanwhile, the Ao Bing and his father went into hiding, because well.....between you and me, it turns the dragon king of the east actually owes you money And You're somehow scarier than a regular lone shark, and Queen kong has beef with Ao bing because the little Bastard set fire to part of her home and she's still mad about it this day. So they both better stay out of our line of sight😈👿

(HIB Wukong) He's kinda embarrassed, but not in a bad way. It's more like he's huffing while getting scolded by Queen Kong about not making you both aware that he was a single father. You both loved Silly Girl and Luier in an instant. Like Wukong, you would sometimes get annoyed with Luier's motor mouth and never ending questions, but your both saved by Queen king's godly Patience with him And answered every question to the best of her ability. Meanwhile, you took a liking to Silly Girl because she seems like a fighter to you, and with a bit of self defense Training She could be a force to be Reckon with, plus you always wanted a daughter🥰. Pigsy knew better to try both of you, as you could both totally Crush him under your thumb. But overall Luier and Silly girl love you both and already accepted you both as mother figures.

(Netflix Wukong) Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh dear here we go. So you should know by now how annoying heaven found Wukong to be, but you should also know about how hard they shat and pissed themselves and went into a PTSD level state of panic when they found out about you both. Now they did hear the rumor that the monkey That was pestering them getting hitched, Which is probably why he wasn't bothering them for a while, but they had Absolutely no idea That he got married to not one but two wives, AND IT'S BOTH THE QUEEN OF THE MONSTERS AND THE QUEEN OF THE GORILLAS!!!!!!!! this has to be a dream. A incredibly traumatizing dream And if you think the heavens were suffering with this information you can imagine how the dragon king felt about this😬. HE messed with the husband of the Queens and lived to tell other people about it, He felt like this was the end he felt like this His final moments As he writes as will, Preparing To take his medicine and punishment.

Meanwhile You and Queen kong fawned over Lin like the daughter Neither view ever had. Spoiling her with food, treasures, and clothes as you both learned from Wukong that she was alone for most of her life. Well That's clearly about to change as you both welcome and adopted her as your daughter🥰🥰🥰

FEEL FREE TO REBLOG

[luminouslumity]

Here's the backstory of the Pilgrims in accordance to the novel. Because at this point, I might as well!

SŪN WÙKŌNG (孫悟空)

The monkey, the myth, the legend himself!

On the continent of East Pūrvavideha in the country of Àolái (傲來) atop Huāguǒshān (花果山)—Flower-Fruit Mountain—there lived monkey who hatched from stone, and being the only one in his troop to be brave (or impulsive) enough to rush through the local waterfall—what would become Shuǐlián Dòng (水帘洞), or Water-Curtain Cave—he's subsequently made the Hóuwáng (猴王), or Monkey King.

Years later, due to having an existential crises, he decides to go find the secret to immortality and eventually encounters an immortal named Pútí Zǔshī (菩提祖师), Patriarch Subodhi, whom Wùkōng would train under for ten years. Under his tutelage, the Monkey King received lessons on—among other things—human language and etiquette, calligraphy, philosophy, and magic. It was also Subodhi who gave Wùkōng his name, giving the following explanation:

"Though your features are not the most attractive, you do resemble a pignolia-eating monkey (husun). This gives me the idea of taking a surname for you from your appearance. I intended to call you by the name Hu. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what’s left is a compound made up of the two characters, gu and yue. Gu means aged and yue means female, but an aged female cannot reproduce. Therefore, it is better to give you the surname of Sun. If I drop the animal radical from this word, what we have left is the compound of zi and xi. Zi means a boy and xi means a baby, and that name exactly accords with the fundamental Doctrine of the Baby Boy. So your surname will be Sun."

The Patriarch said, “Within my tradition are twelve characters that have been used to name the pupils according to their divisions. You are one who belongs to the tenth generation."

"Which twelve characters are they?" asked the Monkey King.

The Patriarch replied, "They are: wide (guang), great (da), wise (zhi), intelligence (hui), true (zhen), conforming (ru), nature (xing), sea (hai), sharp (ying), wake-to (wu), complete (yuan), and awakening (jue). Your rank falls precisely on the word 'wake-to' (wu). You will hence be given the religious name ‘Wake-to-the-Void’ (wukong). All right?"

"Splendid! Splendid!" said the Monkey King, laughing. "Henceforth I shall be called Sun Wukong."

Eventually, Subodhi sent Sūn Wùkōng away after the monkey displayed his new transformation powers to his fellow disciples, but not before making him promise to not tell anyone where he had learned his abilities from.

Later, after returning to Flower Fruit Mountain and stopping the demon from further terrorizing their home, Sūn Wùkōng then travels to the East Sea for a weapon. Of course he soon obtains his famous golden staff—Rúyì Jīn Gū Bàng (如意金箍棒)—from Áo Guāng (敖光), but as for the rest of the items, he gets the phoenix-feathered cap—Fèngchìzǐjinguān (鳳翅紫金冠)—from Áo Qīn (敖欽), Dragon of the South, the cloud-stepping shoes—Ǒusībùyúnlǚ (藕絲步雲履)—from Áo Shùn (敖順), Dragon of the North, and the golden chainmail—Suǒ Zi Huángjīn Jiǎ (鎖子黃金甲)—from Áo Rùn, Dragon of the West.

Later, Monkey manages to cheat death itself by scratching out his name as well as those belonging to several other monkeys from one of the ledgers of the dead.

Finally grabbing the attention of the Jade Emperor, Wùkōng gets tasked by Heaven to become their BìMǎWēn (弼馬溫), the overseer of the imperial dragon-horses, in order to keep him out of trouble. And to his credit, he does an excellent job at it; as a result of this position, horses in general end up fearing and respecting him.

But then when Sūn Wùkōng realizes just how low of a position he's actually in, he abandons his post, proclaims himself Qítiān Dàshèng (齐天大圣)—Great Sage Equal to Heaven—and soon enough, he's at war with the entirety of the Celestial Host and later ends up becoming even more immortal than he already was. Long story short, he's soon bested by Buddha and gets trapped under Five Phases Mountain, Wǔhángshān (五行山), for the next five hundred years.

After being freed, he's given the Jīng��quān (金箍圈) to wear on his head to ensure his good behavior.

TÁNG SĀNZÀNG (唐三藏)

Based on a real monk of the same name, Táng Xuánzàng (唐玄奘)—courtesy name Sēng (唐僧)—also called Táng Sānzàng or Tripiṭaka, was born to a man named Chén Guāngruǐ (陳光蕊) and a chief minister's daughter named Yīn Wēnjiāo (殷溫嬌), and even before going on the pilgrimage, this man has never known peace for very long. And neither have his parents.

For starters, in his first life, he was known as Jinchan Zi (金蝉子)—Golden Cicada—the second disciple of Buddha, but was so inattentive towards the lessons that he eventually entered a cycle of reincarnation as punishment; by the time he's born to the Chens, he'd already been through ten previous lives.

And then it gets worse.

Having been made governor of Jiāngzhōu (江州) shortly after the wedding, Chén Guāngruǐ and Yīn Wēnjiāo began to travel to their new home, only for Guāngruǐ to be killed by the boatmen who were supposed to take them there because one of them—Liú Hóng (劉洪)—wanted Wēnjiāo for himself. Fortunately, Guāngruǐ body is found by a yaksha loyal to the local Dragon King of Hóngjiāngkǒu (洪江口), whom Guāngruǐ had previously rescued while said Dragon King had been in the guise of a fish; repaying kindness with kindness, Guāngruǐ's soul was allowed to stay with the king until the time came for it to reunite with his body, which was given a preservative pearl so it wouldn't decay.

Meanwhile, after giving birth to a son, Wēnjiāo sends her baby down the river to save him from being killed by Liú Hóng, having been promised by the celestials that she'd be reunited with her family one day. This son is then found by Monk Fǎmíng (法明) of Jīnshān Temple (金山寺) and given the nickname Jiāng Liú (江流), River Float, as well as the religious name Xuánzàng, and after eighteen years of being oblivious to his true identity, he finally reunites with his mother and grandparents, gets Liú Hóng arrested, and then reunites with his father afterwards.

Anastasia AU, anyone?

Anyway, he's later selected to go on a journey to India, called Tiānzhú (天竺), to retrieve a set of Buddhist scriptures, becomes sworn brothers with Emperor Tàizōng (唐太宗) himself before leaving, and then eventually meets a certain mystic monkey who's been trapped under a mountain for five hundred years.

ÁO LIÈ (敖烈)

Known as the Third Jade Dragon Prince and the White Dragon Horse, the son of Áo Rùn is never actually given a name in the original novel, but Liè is the most common in adaptations, and that's when he's given a name at all. But no matter what, his story remains more or less the same throughout—due to inadvertently setting his father's pearls and palace on fire, Áo Rùn reported him to the Jade Emperor, who sentenced him to be executed, but not before having Ao Liè lashed three hundred times first.

But of course, Liè was ultimately saved by Guānyīn a few days before he was set to be executed and was then tasked by her to carry Táng Sānzàng to the West before having his horns and scales taken off, only to regain them at the end of the journey. Being the second of the group Táng Sānzàng would meet, the encounter happens due to Liè eating the monk's original horse and a fight with Sun Wukong ensues until the matter gets resolved with Guānyīn's help.

Technically, he's never counted as an official disciple in the original book and neither Zhū Bājiè and Sha Wujing even realize Liè isn't a regular horse until two months after joining the group.

Other than that, Liè doesn't really do much as far as the original book is concerned, save for two instances. One is sometime after Sun Wukong had been banished the first time and everyone else in the group had been indisposed in some way by Huáng Páo Guài (黃袍怪), Yellow Robe Demon.

Everyone, that is, except for Áo Liè!

In order to save Sānzàng from this latest threat, he disguises himself as a palace maiden, tries to stab the demon while performing a sword dance and... loses. To the point of getting his leg injured.

It's okay, he did his best.

So Zhū Bājiè soon finds him hiding out, and after the pig demon attempts to quit the journey altogether, Áo Liè proceeds to give him one hell of a call out while also showing just how much faith he has in Sūn Wùkōng.

Once again, to quote the Anthony Yu translation (side note for those unfamiliar with Yu, Bājiè's name is given a literal translation, hence Eight Rules):

Idiot mounted the clouds quickly and went back to the city; in a little while, he reached the post-house. The moon was bright and people had become quiet at this time, but he searched the corridors in vain to find any trace of his master. All he saw was the white horse lying there: his whole body was soaked and on one of his hind legs was the mark of a bruise about the size of a pan. "This is doubly unfortunate!" said Eight Rules, greatly startled. "This loser hasn’t traveled. Why is he sweating like that, and with a bruise on his leg? It must be that some evil men have robbed our master, wounding the horse in the process."

The white horse recognized that it was Eight Rules; assuming human speech suddenly, he called out: "Elder Brother!" Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

Idiot was so shaken that he fell on the ground. Pulling himself up, he was about to dash outside when the white horse caught hold of the monk’s robe by his teeth, saying again, "Elder Brother, don’t be afraid of me."

"Brother,' said Eight Rules, still shaking, "why are you talking today? When you talk like that, it has to mean that some great misfortune is about to befall us."

The little dragon said, "Did you know that Master had landed in a terrible ordeal?"

"No, I didn’t," said Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "Of course, you didn't! You and Sha Monk were flaunting your abilities before the king, thinking that you could capture the demon and be rewarded for your merit. You didn't expect that the demon was so powerful and you were the ones no doubt who were beaten. At least one of you could have returned to give us the news, but there was not one word from either of you. That monster-spirit had changed himself into a handsome scholar and broken into the court to present himself to the king as an imperial relative. Our master was changed by him into a ferocious striped tiger, who was then taken captive by the officials and locked up in an iron cage in one of the palace chambers. When I heard how Master suffered, my heart felt as if it had been stabbed by a sword. But you were gone for nearly two days, and I was afraid that any further delay might mean that Master would be killed. So I had no choice but to change back into my dragon body to go and try to rescue him. When I reached the court, I couldn't find Master, but I met the monster in the Silver Peace Palace. I changed into the form of a palace maid, trying to deceive him. He asked me to do a sword dance, during which I tried to slash him. He escaped my blow and defeated me instead with a candelabrum. I tried desperately to hit him when I threw the sword at him, but he caught it instead and gave me a blow on my hind leg with that candelabrum. I dived into the imperial moat and saved my life; the bruise on my leg was caused by the candelabrum."

When Eight Rules heard these words, he said, "Is that all true?"

"You think I'm deceiving you?" said the little dragon.

Eight Rules asked, "What are we going to do? What are we going to do? Can you move at all?"

"If I can," said the little dragon, "what then?"

"If you can move at all," said Eight Rules, "move into the ocean then. Old Hog will pole the luggage back to the Old Gao Village to pick up my wife again."

When the little dragon heard this, he clamped his mouth onto Eight Rules's shirt and refused to let go. As tears fell from his eyes, he said, "Elder Brother, you mustn't become indolent."

"Why not?" said Eight Rules. "Brother Sha has already been caught by him, and I can't beat him. If we don't scatter now, what are we waiting for?"

The little dragon thought for some time before he spoke again, tears streaming down his cheeks. "Elder Brother, don't mention the word scatter. If you want to save Master, you have to go and ask a person to come here."

"Who is that?" asked Eight Rules.

The little dragon said, "You'd better hurry and mount the clouds to go to the Flower-Fruit Mountain, so that you can invite our Big Brother, Pilgrim Sun, to come back. Most certainly he has dharma power great enough to subdue this fiend and rescue Master, avenging at the same time the shame of our defeat."

"Brother," said Eight Rules, "let me go ask someone else. That monkey and I are not on the best of terms, you know. When he killed that Lady White Bone back there on the White Tiger Ridge, he was mad at me already for wheedling Master into reciting the Tight-Fillet Spell. I was just being frivolous, and I didn’t think that the old priest would really recite it and even banish him. I don't know how he hates me now, and I'm certain also that he won’t come back. Suppose we have a little argument then: that funeral staff of his is pretty heavy, you know. If he doesn't know any better at that moment and gives me a few strokes, you think I'll be able to live?"

The little dragon said, “He won't hit you, because he is a kind and just Monkey King. When you see him, don't say that Master is in peril; just tell him that Master is thinking of him and deceive him into coming. When he gets here and sees what's happening, he will not get mad. He will want most certainly to have it out with the monster-spirit instead. Then the demon will surely be caught and Master will be saved."

"All right, all right!" said Eight Rules. "You are so dedicated. If I don't go, it'll mean that I’m not dedicated. I'll go, and if indeed Pilgrim consents to come, I'll return with him. But if he is unwilling, then don't expect me, because I won't be coming back either."

"Go! Go!" said the little dragon. “He will certainly come."

Clearly the dragon is the true unsung hero of this story.

As for the second instance, long story short, Sūn Wùkōng wanted to make what he ended up calling the Elixer of Black Gold for an ailing king and needed Liè's help—in his horse form—for one of the ingredients.

ZHŪ BĀJIÈ (豬八戒)

Originally holding the Heavenly title of Tiānpéng Yuánshuài (天篷元帅)—Marshall of the Heavenly Reeds—Zhū Wùnéng (猪悟能)—also known as Zhū Gāngliè (猪刚鬛) and Zhū Bājiè, and often given called Idiot, dāizi (呆子), was punished via reincarnation because he'd attempted to seduce the moon goddess Cháng'é (嫦娥), a massive no-no! In certain retellings, such as the 1996 version, this is expanded to him going through many lifetimes of tragic romances. Regardless, his soul eventually passes through the womb of a sow by accident, thus becoming the pig demon we know him as today.

The second of Táng Sānzàng's disciples, Zhū Wùnéng joins the pilgrimage after he kidnaps and marries a young woman from a wealthy family in Gāolǎozhuāng (高老莊) named Gāo Cuìlán (高翠蘭). Disguising himself as Cuìlán, Sūn Wùkōng eventually defeats Wùnéng in battle and he becomes a disciple afterwards, earning the name Bājiè (referring to the first eight of the ten Buddhist commandments) in the process.

Glutenous and selfish, Zhū Bājiè is often at odds with Sūn Wùkōng and also tries to find reasons to quit the pilgrimage on more than one occasion. His weapon is known as jiǔchǐdīngpá (九齒釘耙), the Nine-Toothed Rake.

SHĀ WÙJÌNG (沙悟淨)

And last but not least, Shā Wùjìng! Once Juǎnlián Dàjiàng (捲簾大將), or Curtain-Raising General, in Heaven, Wùjìng was banished after he carelessly broke a crystal cup during the Festival of Immortal Peaches, and as such, was not only banished to the Mortal Realm as punishment, but was also sent flying swords to stab him every week. Growing desperate, he soon starts to eat any traveler who passes by his territory. Taking mercy upon him, Guānyīn tasks him with also accompanying the Táng Monk on his mission.

Eventually, the other pilgrims encounter Wùjìng, Wùkōng fights him for a bit, and then after that gets resolved, our heroes, having finally assembled, are all ready to carry on with their journey to the West. He also carries a staff.

You all know the rest: they traveled for the fourteen years in total (as opposed to the eighteen years it took the real Táng Xuánzàng), got the scriptures, Sānzàng completely forgot his promise to a turtle to ask Buddha about how much longer it would take for him to regain human form and so the Pilgrims were forced to swim to shore after being thrown overboard (no one ever say that older books can't be hilarious), and then they were all granted titles upon returning home: Táng Sānzàng and Sūn Wùkōng are made Zhāntán Gōngdé Fuó (旃檀功德佛) and Dòu Zhànshèng Fó (鬥戰勝佛), or Buddha of Candana Merit and Buddha Victorious in Strife, respectively, Zhū Bājiè is named Jìngtán Shǐzhě (淨壇使者), or Cleanser of the Altars, Shā Wùjìng becomes Jīnshēn Luóhàn (金身羅漢), or Golden-Bodied Arhat, and Ao Liè gets promoted to Bābùtiān Lóngmǎ (八部天龍馬), or Dragon Horse of the Eight Heavenly Sections.

[lunar-wandering]

[kicks down door] travel through the mind? seeing everyone’s dreams/nightmares? tell me more (no pressure!!)

this doesn’t involve seeing everyone’s dreams/nightmares but i had an idea for the s3 special that, now that that is not what happened, i am now gonna reform it for a s4 idea for your guy’s pleasure:

the furnace survived the mech’s destruction.

Spider Queen is trapped in there in a sort of dream state.

Macaque ends up stumbling upon the furnace. Since he’s a Good Guy now, he figures he’s practically forced to help out and tries to drag Spider Queen out forcibly

this does not go well

see there’s a lot of energy being contained in the furnace right now, and if not done properly, losing a host could mean an explosion/the actual destruction of the furnace.

so when Macaque pulls Spider Queen out, the furnace does the reasonable thing and immediately searches for a new person to trap.

and of course, Macaque is right there.

Spider Queen wakes up on the ground and sees that Macaque has been taken in by the furnace and knows that this could be bad, Macaque has more energy than her, if the furnace continues to use him as a host the energy could start to lash out.

so she goes and finds Wukong.

(Wukong isn’t going to fail Macaque again)

Wukong feeds the furnace energy to try and satiate the spell LBD put in it while he pulls Macaque out.

Macaque practically falls out, into Wukong’s arms,

but then he’s yelling, pushing Wukong away, falling to the side, his hand covering his eye, his glamours down

(within the furnace, Macaque’s dream was the fight, Wukong scarring him, happening over and over and over without end)

Wukong didn’t feed enough energy to the spell

the last thing Wukong sees before he gets dragged into the furnace is Macaque’s fearful face

Macaque goes to find MK, because, you know, this is a problem.

MK still doesn’t really trust him so Macaque has to be kinda roundabout about the whole thing and subtly lead MK to the furnace

after being in the furnace, Macaque understands the spell more, and the only real way to break the spell inside the furnace without causing an explosion is to have the person inside wake up on their own power. doing so would cause most of the energy inside to attach itself to the host, but Wukong can definitely handle it, right?

it’s hard to wake someone up from a magic sleep though, so...

MK: ...what do we do? Macaque: I can use magic to send you in. Getting out will be all up to you. MK: ....... Macaque: look, i know you still don't trust me- MK: do it.

when MK enters Wukong’s mind, he’s in Havoc in Heaven.

yeah thats right the initial concept of this whole idea was because i saw there were three Wukong’s in the Havoc in Heaven lego set and went “what if each one of those is part of Wukong’s psyche”

Havoc in Heaven keeps repeating, over and over. MK tries to stop it.

at some point one of Wukong’s selves asks MK how he’s here, and MK brings up Macaque-

 ...and he ends up stumbling upon some kind of trauma, or Wukong's mental self starts throwing a fit trying to get MK out, and suddenly MK hears a voice echo in his head like "okay kiddo, time to go-" and then next thing he knows his face feels like it's been slapped, and Macaque is steadying him

"I thought getting out would be up to me!!" "that was before you started poking around in things that are better left alone" "....you were watching?" "Wukong's mind wouldn't let me in all the way, but i have....ways of working around that." Macaque's ears flicker briefly . "...you have to send me back in" "kid-" "dont argue with me. he's alone in there, and he's panicking. i have to help him" "...he'll resist. it'll be a lot more painful this time." "im ready." "....good luck kid."

when MK returns to Wukong’s mind, he’s no longer in Havoc in Heaven  he finds Wukong, in his journey clothes, kneeling in the middle of a destroyed mountain range.

"....Monkey King?" "I killed him. I killed my best friend."

and theres just. this moment of silence where MK and Wukong just sit there together.

something something insert some emotional conversation here i don’t have the mental energy to type out

when they do get Wukong out he hugs MK immediately, and then Macaque goes "good to know your brain didn't melt under the pressure, though considering how rock brained you are im not even sure that's possible"

and immediately Wukong turns to him, and Macaque flinches- and then Wukong is hugging him. Wukong: im so glad you're alive. Macaque: ....i feel like i've missed something.

MK gives Macaque a pat on the back

...and the season’s new problem is the fact that despite being very powerful, Wukong cannot fully control the backlash from the furnace, and, notably. not all of the energy contained in the spell went into Wukong. some of it went into MK.