#Tales of the Monkey King

[flower-do0dles-dump]

This man radiates so much gender

[kaynanarie]

Eyes of Gold (Part 1)

(A WukongxReader story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Lutung Kasarung.) (Part 2)

            Even in the daytime, the Mountain of Fruit and Flowers was a daunting place to be. You huddled under one of the massive trees, no idea what to do or where to go. Tears trickled down your face as you fought the urge to scratch your itchy skin, wishing you could wake up from this nightmare.

            The feeling of eyes watching you haunted your senses and sent chills down your spine. There were too many shadows to see where the gaze came from but plenty of demons inhabited the mountain, most with a taste for vulnerable humans.

            A quiet thump startled you from your thoughts. Something rolled across the forest floor, coming to a careful stop by your feet. It took you a moment to recognize what it is; a peach, perfectly ripe with a delicate blush on its fuzzy skin. You picked it up and looked around before finding where it came from.

            Gold, glowing eyes were watching from the darkness, staying low to the ground as they approached. You nearly screamed when from the bushes emerged…

            A monkey. A normal, brown furred, curly tailed monkey. You let out a relieved laugh while the creature just stared with his peculiar golden eyes.

            “Hey, cutie,” you greeted, holding the peach up. “Is this yours?”

            When you rolled the fruit back, the monkey glanced between it and you. Picking it up, the monkey hopped closer, tossing the peach back into your lap.

            “Is it for me?” you asked teasingly. The answering nod was unexpected and set you on edge. “Well…thank you, I supposed.”

            You pulled out your knife; a tiny, dull blade no bigger than your finger. The monkey watched you warily as you cut into the peach and offered a sliced piece of the fruit. “I don’t mind sharing.”

            Snatching the snack from your fingers, the monkey nibbled on his share while you cut a slice for yourself. You’d barely taken a bite when he shuffled closer, meeting your eye with a curious tilt of its head.

            “Why were you crying?”

            You almost inhaled your peach in surprise. Hearing the monkey speak nearly sent you through a new wave of panic. Instead, you found yourself too tired and resigned to do much more than stare.

            “I…” you trailed off when tears started to gather. The monkey frowned but said nothing, waiting patiently for your answer. “I’ve been curse.”

            “How so?”

            A sigh left your lips, the peach forgotten in your fidgeting hands. “It’s a long story.”

            The monkey hopped over to sit at your side, expectant and attentive. “I like stories.”

            “It’s not a happy one,” you warned.

            A small paw patted your hand in comfort. “Sharing a burden is the best way to lessen it.”

            Knowing he wasn’t planning to leave you be, you dried your eyes and began your tale.

            “My father is a noble in the village. About a month ago, he invited his friend’s son to be a guest in our house. He planned to arrange a match with my sister or I to unite the families. A few days before he arrived, though, this happened.”

            Rolling up the sleeve of your robe, you held out your forearm for the monkey to see. The skin was blotched with a red, blistery rash. Your nails scratching at the itch had left it raw and stinging, only just avoiding drawing blood.

            “When my family saw the affliction, they locked me in my room, fearing it would spread. My sister was allowed at the meeting and an engagement was quickly agreed upon.”

            “So, you ran away because of a broken heart?” the monkey guessed, no jest or mockery in his curious tone. 

            “No, I didn’t know him so marriage was not my concern,” you answered, shaking your head with a smile. “My sister’s fiancé is handsome but he is spoiled and sheltered. She already orders him about like a servant. I do not envy their union but do wish them the best.”

            “Why come to the mountain, then?”

            You sat back against the tree, the physical and emotional pain taking its toll. “Part of my sister’s promised dowry was an orchard of fruit trees near the mountain. The only problem was, they didn’t actually belong to my father. When he went to stake a claim, it angered the Monkey King. Sun Wukong himself appeared, accusing him of stealing and desecrating his mountain. My father begged for his life, offering anything in return before escaping. We barely heard the story before he had packed his things and fled, leaving my sister in charge of his estate. He’s incurred the Monkey King’s wrath and fears he will be killed for his crimes if he returns.”

            The monkey seemed surprised for the first time. “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding; easily fixed and appeased.”

            “Misunderstand or not, my father is gone and my sister took advantage of his absence,” you said, bitterness creeping into your words. “She convinced the village I was to blame. That my illness was proof of a curse that doomed our father and threatened her engagement. She was the one who sent me here, so that my death might appease the Monkey King and atone for my father’s transgressions.”

            “That’s ridiculous! You shouldn’t have to pay for the sins of your father.” The monkey climbed up to perch on your knees, shaking his head in disbelief. “Our King is not so cruel. He only wants to protect the mountain and his people.”

            “I’ve heard stories about him,” you argued. “The only reason I’m still alive is he doesn’t know I’m here.”

            “But he does know you’re here.”

            His casual reveal froze you in place, icy panic stealing your breath and quickening your heartbeat. You looked around, only seeing inconspicuous forest. “He does!?”

            The monkey nodded. “He sent me to find out your intentions. Now that I know, you’re free to stay as long as you follow his rules.”

            “But…what if he doesn’t approve?” you asked, still nervous and unconvinced. “Or what if another demon attacks me instead? Or–”

            Leaning forward, the monkey patted your cheeks in a gesture somewhere between silly and soothing. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. Okay?”

            Despite the average look of the monkey, his golden eyes shown with determination and sincerity in his oath. Even such a small act of kindness was enough to put you at ease.

            “That’s very sweet of you.”

            Leaping off of your knee, he tugged at your sleeve and pointed into the forest. “Come with me. I know a place you can stay for the night. It’s not much but it’ll keep you safe.”

            You scramble to your feet, watching as the monkey scaled a nearby tree. He waited on one of the overhead branches, swinging to the next to lead you down a path only he could see.

            “Thank you,” you said, following after him. As you walked, you realized a lapse in manners that made you blush. “I don’t think you ever told me your name?”

            “Shihou!” a voice answered from the branches. The monkey suddenly appeared in front of your face, hanging by his long tail, lips curled in a cheeky smile. “You can call me Shihou.”

[emdoddles]

Argos doesn’t have a lot of time as a hero so he is still learning.

Apologize to some of the ink spills my marker kept exploding in me.

Ryuko King Monkey Rena Rouge Tigeress Purple Queen Bee Bunnix

[quidell-fics]

Sneak peek for "A Tale Painted with Blood"

A Black Myth: Wukong fanfic

A/N: Sorry for hardly any updates these past two weeks. Here's a short sneak peek for the next chapter! Please note that this might change slightly when it's finally released as it's not edited yet.

That made my ears prick up, keen as a fox in a midnight forest. Even Monkey Boy, usually so aloof, was watching Shen Monkey with a rare glint in his eyes, his curiosity stirred like embers catching flame.

"There were others like me?" I couldn’t keep the thrill from my voice, my curiosity spilling over. I took a step forward, only to feel a tug at my waist halting me. "Did they wear strange clothes? Odd shoes, like these perhaps?" I pointed to my scuffed tennis shoes, distinctly out of place in this world. Unlike Monkey Boy, I wasn’t keen on going barefoot—not in this twisted landscape, no matter how strange these shoes appeared to the locals.

Shen Monkey let out a sigh, punctuated by a hiccup that seemed to catch on a thread of humor, scratching his nose in a thoughtful pause as he eyed my attire. But his gaze lingered not so much on my mismatched shoes as on the clothes Monkey Boy gave me. "Oh, she did indeed," he drawled, his eyes flicking back up to meet mine with a glint that hinted he’d seen more than he was letting on. If he found my attire odd, he didn't say so. "And her hair… just as red as yours, like the color of blood, freshly spilled and steaming on the earth."

She. 

She.

Another woman.

She had hair like me. Like the color of freshly spilled blood. 

That stopped me in my tracks, as if I'd brushed against thorns I hadn’t noticed were there, sharp and unexpected.

Even Monkey Boy felt it. His tail coiled around me, tense as iron, grounding me while his gaze locked with mine when I looked back up to him. I didn't know why I looked to him when I heard this… 

Each eye flickered like twin embers, probing, trying to read whatever shadows he saw reflected in my own. His look was guarded, layered, reflecting back a caution that felt like it ran bone-deep.

And then, from some wretched place I thought I’d buried, a voice I loathed slithered through the silence, cold and venomous: She was a druggy. And you? You’re no better.

I blinked, the sting of that memory cutting into the moment. I tore my gaze away from him, shaking off its grip, pressing that vile thought back into the dark.

But why, of all things, did that have to rise up now, pricking at the edges of a memory I didn’t want to relive?

[ningadudexx]

posting this before i convince myself not to

[redtippedfox]

The Order arrives in chapter 5: Lady Luck

No shading or words down below:

[ijustliketoreadstuff]

Why it was different with Luka

Knowing what we know now from “Derision”, it makes sense why Marinette didn’t research Luka. Marinette already got to know who Luka was personally under normal means, and because he didn’t have any connection to Chloe, she didn’t need to be as cautious about him.

Back in “Silencer”, Luka had already proven himself to be more than trustworthy as he was someone who would not sit idly by as those with selfish intentions attempted to belittle and wrong her.

But what ultimately made Marinette realize that she did not need to fear a relationship with Luka, was learning that he was somehow always there for her when she had no one to turn to, such as in “Heart Hunter” when the stresses of both her hero and civilian life became to much for her to bare and prevented her from being more open about her struggles, who she was and how she felt. Somehow, Luka had a way of knowing when she was conflicted about something and would waste no time attempting to understand her and her situation before giving her advice no one else knew to give her, even being willing to take action if and when needed. 

Granted, their relationship couldn't work out due to personal matters, but the major difference between her relationship with Luka and Adrien, was that she already got to know who Luka was, but she was still getting to know who Adrien was behind his fame, his rich status, the image of perfection companies advertised him as, and most of all, his friendship with Chloe.

For Marinette, there were things about Adrien that she already knew, but there were also things about him she realized she never knew, such as in "Risk" when she discovered how much he actually hated his life as a model.

Although she and Adrien want to get to know each other better, it was the fear of the unknown that made her wonder if Adrien really was the kind person she thought he was, or if he was just pretending to be nice to her so he could catch her off guard later, like how she thought Kim was only nice to her in the beginning to go along with Chloe's plans later. Despite knowing Adrien loved her and would not intend to bring her any harm, there was still a part of her that couldn’t help but doubt it all and wonder if she was actually good enough for him, after all, if she wasn’t good enough for Kim to hold in higher regard than Chloe, the girl who he favored all along, then how could she be so sure that she was good enough for Adrien(the rich and famous model) to consider over the word of his childhood friend, who was also Chloe. 

Back in "Sand boy, when we discover Marinette's greatest Nightmares was learning that Adrien was in love with Chloe, we only ever assumed it was natural for Marinette to feel this way, but looking back on things now, her fear of Adrien being potentially in love with Chloe had stemmed from her hidden fears of reliving her past mistake of allowing herself to love someone else so easily without being more cautious.

 The level of trust Cat Noir built with Ladybug, is why Marinette was able to accept Adrien’s affection in “Ephemeral”, because no matter what Marinette feared, she was at least able to find comfort in knowing that Adrien really was always there for her and would always be there for her. But with the two of them together now, without knowing each others identities, things are different. Marinette needs time to accept that being with Adrien is nothing to fear, and Adrien in turn was more than willing to be with her through every step of the way.

[rrcraft-and-lore]

The Monkey King - Sun Wukong who first appears in Chinese stories (Journey to the West) during the Ming Dynasty period 1368 to 1644 CE, well after the introduction of Buddhism to China in about 206-220 CE.

But, was he inspired by another Monkey hero/character of myth?

The prevailing and dominant theory among Asian scholars is ...yeah, likely.

That character, Hanuman, king of the monkeys (the monkey people -Vanaras- of Vedic myth!).

The story follows a Buddhist monk who is accompanied by Sun Wukong and others to travel west to India to obtain sacred Buddhist sutras. Many of their powers and personality traits are similar as well.

We know that Vedic god such as Indra have made their way as far as Japan to take root and be worshipped because of the spread of Buddhism.

As I've talked about before and is shown in texts such as the journey's of Ibn Battuta / Ibn Fadlan, storytelling was a weapon and powerful tool for idea transfer--propagation. Philosophy was huge in the old world - and places such as Nalanda - the first residential university in the world - invited scholars from all over such as Greeks from the west, and the Japanese. Buddhism became a vehicle for trading things such as: martial arts information, medicine, sciences, and of course, myths and stories.

However, as with stories, people usually altered/coopted elements and molded them to better suit their cultures and fancy. That's a thing as old as time. I've shared how the panchatantra stories and jatka tales are thought to be the inspiration for nearly 30-50 percent of all nursery rhymes, ballads, "fairy tales".

Anyways back to this theory - Chinese Indologist Professor Liu Anwu of Peking University has dedicated chapters to the comparisons (in one of his works) to further break down this theory focusing on consistent and or similar depictions of beats in Journey to the West that of Rama's story in Ramayama and the Buddhist sutras.

Even though today the story of Sun Wukong is a wholly Chinese story - it's important to note the power of oral storytelling and how it travelled evolved over thousands of years, and, just as important, the vehicles it used to do so. Not just storytellers and philosophers and travelers but religion! Philosophy!

This is a theme heavily commented on and shown in Tales of Tremaine, which is my love letter and sort of self PhD. in comparative storytelling, mythology, and story foundry through an Asiatic lens (hence a silk road analog) stretching along a similar route the silk road did from damn near as far as you can east (complete with the oceanic routes) to as west as old venezia, portugal, and spain.

Also note: this is the most popular theory atm, but the operative word is theory. Experts likely far better than you, Internet, so chill before you comment, are still debating this. I know last week some of you were doctors in sociopolitical relations, the music industry before that, and then you were leading virologists before that. Spare us simpler folks from your mighty genius just now and sit down.

The point here is the beauty of stories and their ability to travel and morph and comment on themes/points ideologies important to cultures while being entertaining and showing that humans like certain universal moments, beats, archetypes, tropes, and progressions in tales.

Now, is that because we've naturally been predisposed liking them, or the opposite in that everyone went, yo, i dig this, took it home and someone else went, this is cool but needs to be more US (insert culture) and retold it. And thus...timemachine noises speed up. Here we are today?

You might not know that about 35,000 Chinese words ( I said this instead of Mandarin because they don't just show up in one language) are derived from Sanskrit as well as Pali (a Middle Indo-Aryan Liturgical Language -- meaning language of sacredness/religious use, in this case connected to sacred Buddhist texts). It is important to make the distinction, because, Internet!

Sanskrit did not SHAPE the Chinese languages. They evolved on their own. This is just a commentary on how words/stories shaped over travel in this case strongly through the spread of Buddhism.

Religion was the mover.

Back from quick bathroom break. Going to add again - INSPIRED is the keyword here.

INSPIRED.

Sun Wukong is his own mythos/character. Influence doesn't nor can claim dominion over everything in a later tale. Sun Wukong has gone on himself to inspire legends and characters Outside of China - re: most famously and legendary?

Son Goku - who is openly a Sun Wukong inspired character.

...hell, tbh, he might be the most famous monkey inspired super powered character now. Dude makes soccer stadiums air his fights. @_@.

[swk-mac]

Wukong: I drew a thing... Macaque: Can I see? Wukong: Yeah, but it's still just a sketch Macaque: *seeas a fucking beautiful rendered drawing* Macaque: DO YOU CALL THIS A SKETCH?!!

[smilesthroughfandoms]

MK tries to teach PB about Rock, Paper, Scissors... it doesn't end well.

[flower-do0dles-dump]

"It has to be true. I'm counting on you."

[lookslikethatsallthetimewehave]

We're never going to get an explanation for how baron is related to the red queen and king :/

Probably not XD

I came to the conclusion that she's adopted.

Although...

In Monkey Wrench Island she is portrayed as German, since she's a parody of the Red Baron.

So... either they retconned her character, or the German thing was an act, because she was trying to distance herself from her family on Fairy Tale Island... I hate this.

[siixkiing]

@cosmicxblossoms {☯}

[Muse: Ao Lie] "why not go find macaque to be a menace to?"

"I would but that's like hours trapped in the time out shadow hamster ball...which is fun, till he stops me from being able to roll it around."

[emdoddles]

This took me a while because I wanted to make sure I like the scenes. At last, Rena Rouge with the other heroes!

[quidell-fics]

Snippet from my Black Myth: Wukong fanfic "A Tale Painted with Blood"

Sun Wukong x OC/Reader

Destined One x OC/Reader

Chapter 2 snippet: “Hey!” My voice cracked, a growl rising in my throat, the kind of anger I wasn’t used to feeling as one of my hands snapped to my hip and the other pointed right at him. “I’m talking to you!”

He stopped, just shy of the training grounds’ entrance.

“You know what? Fine! I get it—you don’t like me, congratulations.” My hands shot up, a reflex born of pure exasperation. It’s a nasty habit—they liked to join in on conversation whether I invited them or not. Especially when I let my emotions run off on me. “You've made that abundantly clear.”

My pointer finger then fanned in front of me as I talked, having a mind of its own. “But guess what? After all this, I still don’t hate you! In fact, I actually find you interesting, cold shoulder and all!”

He paused, his head turning ever so slightly, just enough for his ear to catch my words.

“Oh, now you’re listening, huh?” I crossed my arms, stepping closer like I had any control over the situation. “Is that it? You’ll only give me half an ear when I’m about to lose my voice?”

Still nothing. Just that ear, twitching like he’s pretending he doesn’t care.

“Well, guess what, Monkey Boy? You’ve been real clear with your whole ‘I don’t need anyone’ act, but newsflash! I didn’t exactly sign up for the ‘silent treatment and shoulder shrugs’ special, okay? You think I wanted to be dragged into your epic saga of smashing and killing things and acting like the universe’s biggest loner? Yeah, no thanks.”

I threw my hands up, again, pacing in front of him like I was delivering some grand speech. “You’ve got this whole ‘I’m the untouchable King of Sass’ vibe down, but I know something you don’t. Wanna hear it?”

He didn’t move, but I saw that ear flick again. Gotcha.

“You’re lonely, aren’t you? You think being all distant and broody makes you look cool, but guess what? I can brood too! Professionally, in fact. I'm a professional bonafide actor that can out-angst you any day of the week!”

[talesofsonicasura]

HIB!Sun Wukong and his Stand User s/o's Dynamic

This one has been long overdue cause other than Nevada's Oasis, it hasn't been updated. For now, I'll go with something simple like the duo's dynamic. Can be read gender neutral or preferred gender. Enjoy!

If anyone asked you how your relationship with the Great Sage Equal To Heaven is like, it can be summed up as 'theater masks'. What this means is that the both of you often take over each's flaws.

Sun Wukong isn't a cuddly person even with people he'd close to. Comfort from him can be summed up to hugs that are awkward half of the time or a gift. He often looks up to you to help with this particular role.

Your issue actually came from comradeship surprisingly. Before meeting the group, you were just a lone wanderer that never stayed in one place for too long. It wasn't just because of your 'illegal' immortality though.

For some strange reason, danger always followed closely behind. Opponents aiming for your head and don't care about the casualties they cause either. Zombie Mouse was the only one who could survive better than anyone else.

Sun Wukong helped you reclaim that lost feeling the most. He of course had help from Liu Er as the sage was also a bit rusty. Seeing the boy show Dashēng something new was a very cute and sweet sight that would never tire.

Fighting was a thing you and the Monkey King rotated. Despite how powerful Zombie Mouse is one on one matches against strong opponents weren't exactly the best. Your partner was a swarm type combatant so his plushies gave him an advantage.

Thanks to Sun Wukong's shackle sealing away his most of his magic, he had more difficultly fighting multiple opponents. Thus the rotation system was offered surprisingly by Zhu Bajie. You and the Monkey King switching opponents.

Any one on one battles would be handled by him while swarms were handled via Zombie Mouse. This also help protect Liu Er, An-An and Zhu Bajie as someone could defend them if an attack got through.

Overall the two of you worked incredibly well. Although arguing still happens from now and then or plans get thrown out the window. Nothing is exactly perfect, not even a relationship. Especially with two stubborn people like you and Sun Wukong.

Zhu Bajie, a self proclaimed romantic, said that people are like puzzle pieces. Some fit together while others didn't. A bit of advice that held very true as you and Sun Wukong think about the road ahead.

That's it for now! I hope this turned out well as things have been hectic lately and it screws up my writing. Until next time folks, I'll see you back on the journey west. Happy holidays!