#ao guang one shot

[imagobin]

Could we get one of Ao Guang spending time with his child, Kaiju edition?

Aw yeeesss this is sweet! Apologies for taking a while (lol it feels like I always start my replies like this) I'm still baffled and pleased that I still get so many Dragon King requests- I have two more in my inbox DAYUM making this into a one shot cause hecc why not?

Genre: Slice of Life 🍃 Word count: 810

Playing with Dad

Being a Kaiju-sized dragon was hard, the Dragon King knew as much, but what he hadn’t taken into account was that even in this state he’d end up with a little mere-child to take care of.

Of course, his partner was there too to help him in most cases, but whenever it was just the two of them, Ao Guang was terrified about the possibility of accidentally hurting his own child, and he would’ve never forgiven himself if that were to happen.

Today was exactly one of those days; his partner was out with their friends, and he’d been left home to keep an eye on their child, which at that point in time was little more than a little toddler, and just like any other toddler, they were very mischievous and slightly pesky to deal with.

He was laying down in their massive backyard, looking on as his child played in the sand with an array of empty seashells and rocks, feeling a little awkward and keeping his distance, until his child began gathering a variety of shells and closed that distance themselves, swimming up to him and placing everything they were holding in front of him, sorting the seashells by size.

Ao Guang tensed up slightly, but kept looking, tilting his head as he tried figuring out what his child was up to. “W-what are you up to now?” He asked in a whisper, as he often did when talking to his family, knowing his voice was much louder now, due to his increased size.

“Let’s play store! You’re the shopkeeper, and I’m the customer!” The child instructed enthusiastically, before swimming back and beginning to play a scene out without waiting for their father to agree, because of course he’d play along! He was their dad!

They swam up to him again, “good morning!” They said, trying to make their little voice deeper to sound more like a grownup shopping for groceries.

Dragon King was a bit taken off guard at first, but this seemed like a fairly harmless game, plus, he’d always enjoyed acting and playing roles, so he went along with it. “G-good morning, (child/n)! What do you need today?” He asked, keeping his voice in a whisper, but making it more chirpy.

“I want- three… two big seashells and a pretty medium one!” The mere-child requested, pointing at each seashell individually trying to count them. They were still little so they didn’t really know or care much about numbers.

Ao Guang chuckled softly, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “And what else do you need to say when asking things from someone?” 

His child thought about it for a moment, before their eyes lit up. “Oh! P-please?”

“That’s right.” The King replied softly. He was actually starting to relax a bit, things were going well, they were rehearsing numbers and he was reminding them about manners… perfect parent/child interactions!

He pushed the two big seashells towards his kid without too much trouble, but when it came to the smaller one… he accidentally put too much pressure on it while pushing it forward, which was way too easy to do given the size of his fingers, and ended up breaking it.

All of his tension came right back like a flood. Oh no, he’d really done it now- he’d broken one of his child’s shells!! He was so mortified that all he could do was freeze and avert his eyes. That’s why he didn’t play with his child, a kaiju like him was no good when it came to handling small delicate things, and that was proof enough of it.

Ao Guang was already bracing himself to hear his child cry, but instead… he heard giggles?

“Papa, you broke it! You’re so clumsy!” The kid chuckled, looking up at their dad. “Are you sad?”

“What? Oh- no no, papa isn’t sad-” he stuttered, trying to reassure them. “Aren’t you… upset I broke your seashell?”

“I can find more! It’s okay!!” The kid reassured him, taking the King off guard by displaying a level of maturity he didn’t quite expect from a toddler.

“I… suppose you can-” Ao Guang replied, feeling rather awkward still, until an idea came to him. “O-oh! Why don’t I help you find more? I could find you the BIGGEST seashell in the ocean!”

The child giggled, “as big as you, papa?”

The Dragon King chuckled bashfully, slowly lifting himself up from the seabed. “H-heh, maybe… we’ll only know once we start searching!”

“Yeah!!” The little mere-child excitedly gathered their seashells in their hands, and swam up, propping themselves on their dad’s shoulder. “Let’s find the biggest seashell EVER!!”

Ao Guang couldn’t help but smile fondly. Maybe he could learn to stop worrying so much about his kaiju-sized body… his child definitely didn’t seem to care at least.

The End

[quitealotofsodapop]

Sun Wukong is such a cool character across the board since if you genderbent the character - very little would change other than the reactions of those around them.

LMK: Same character. Only difference is brief confusion from MK and Tang, who adjust their pronouns when speaking of Dawn accordingly. Relationship with Macaque unchanged.

Hero is Back: Short red hair, chewing on hay, tall af? Thats half the butch farmers in my county. Liuer has a brief moment of "The Great Sage is a woman?" before going straight back to fanboying about how cool Dasheng is. Zhu Bajie is likely shocked and appalled that he was defeated by a woman - tho still shoots his shot. Attract does not work on Dasheng. Story accidentally becomes a tale of a mother sacrificing her life to protect her son, and ends with the son sacrificing himself to protect his new mother.

Reborn: Still a chaotic hissing gremlin of a monkey. Brief moment of funny where the very feminine Taoist acolytes misgender Smokey as male since she still looks the same. Zhu Bajie hesistates to hit on Smokey (despite her very convincingly diguising herself as his wife during his recruitment), since she terrifies him. Smokey still arises from their false death cloaked in blue flame and lava. And still mourns the loss of Fruitie.

NewGods: Bigger plot twist of Ace's identity. No one has figured out her identity for so long (including Ao Guang) cus they all assumed SWK was a guy. Still a giggling, gambling lush. Yunxiang: "Hey whos this drunken, half-dressed old lady offerring to train me in exchange for a motorbike- oh sweet Buddha she's the Monkey King."

1999/2000 Cartoon: Sugar is already femme af. No change.

Netflix: Little character change, though Cherry's story would indirectly become a glass ceiling situation with the Immortals. Men can become immortal by killing lots of evil demons (source: Erlang & Hou Yi), but women gotta suffer (source: Guanyin). Bonus girl bonding with Lin.

Smash Legends: Starfruit leans into gender stereotypes for the views. Goes full tiktok e-girl with her asethetic. Would form punk girl band with Goldie.

And lets not forget how many live-action Sun Wukongs are played by women actors and/or stuntwomen.

Gender bending their Macaques also do not change much. Basically these monkeys could be any gender indentity and still be themselves

[googleitlol]

I want it to be known that every time I finish one of these, I let out the most gremlin, 'heeheeeheeheehee' you could possibly imagine.

Why don't we start off with a different POV? Find out what a certain monkey has been up to?

Dove Masterlist:

Storm

That little menace has Sun Wukong at his wit’s end.

The Monkey King flies east atop his cloud, with nothing to do but fume over this new obstacle as he makes his way to his destination. Sure, maybe he could have said something to the others about the disguised demon they found dangling from the tree. Maybe taking care of that brat quicker would have been the better solution, but the sage didn’t want to kill the demon outright and risk a painful headache in case his master didn’t give him a chance to explain. Still, the risk of that might have been worth it, seeing as that little imp took both his master and Dove. It irritated him, how the kid stuck to her like that.

Wukong and his brothers were lucky enough to meet some of the gods of the mountain, they were more than willing to tell them about Red Boy and where he lived. It’d be a lie to say the Monkey King wasn’t surprised to hear the boy is the son of his bond-brother, the Bull Demon King, he doesn’t remember his old friend living anywhere near here. If he gets the chance, he’ll have some words to share about his nuisance of a son.

He would have beaten that child easily if it were not for his obnoxious little trick. Just as Wukong was about to land a blow, the boy began to punch his own face! As if that wasn’t off-putting enough, fire began to shoot out of his face. The fire wouldn’t have bothered the sage all that much, but before it could even touch him, the smoke it emitted completely obscured his vision. He couldn’t find the entrance to the cave amidst the heavy fumes, much less the brat who went in for some cheap shots with his lance. Nephew or not, Wukong cannot wait to get his hands on that little terror.

The Bull Demon King really ought to teach that kid some respect, what was he even talking about? Evil urges?! The gall, ugh! What a– why would he–ugh! What does that boy take him for?! He has no clue what he’s talking about. That kid is the one who wants to eat them, he’s the one with evil urges! Wukong only wanted to protect his friends, it’s not that he wanted Dove to himself. What a ridiculous accusation!  How else is he meant to react when any of those idiots find themselves in danger?!

The king can’t stop himself from rolling his eyes. Damn, that comment really got to him. Why did the boy's words irritate him so much? Looking down at the terrain below as he rushes towards the ocean, he can’t help but sigh. He’d rather feel this annoyance, this irritation than what has really been prodding at his chest.  Every time Tripitaka has been kidnapped, he’s known he would get him back. Sure, there've been brief lapses of doubt, but they only ever lasted so briefly; the time he was blinded, or when those demon brothers trapped him under all those mountains. But whenever he had those moments of doubt, she was there to snap him out of it.

He hates the worry that has been building in his chest. She was right there, he nearly had her… close enough to feel her slip out of his grasp. Ugh, it’s infuriating!

At least after his fight with Red Boy, Sandy came up with the idea to ask Ao Guang for help. If that kid’s fire is the one thing that stopped them, then certainly the Eastern Dragon King will be able to help them extinguish those flames. It was strange, the boy’s fire. Despite not taking any of the flames head-on, Wukong could have sworn he felt their heat. It didn’t feel like any fire he’s ever been near. The heat… it almost hurt.

Perhaps he’s just overthinking this, there’s a lot of things he’s been feeling lately that make no sense to him. Besides, fire has never hurt before, not since gaining his immortality. No fire can truly burn him, not celestial nor earthly, he had to have imagined it.

It doesn’t matter, anyway. What is important now is getting the aid of Ao Guang so that he can save his master and Dove. Wukong can only hope those two can last on their own until he comes with reinforcements.

…Who is he kidding, he can almost see Dove fighting with every tooth and nail to get the monk and herself out of that cave.

~~~~

“You see, what I’m doing is focusing on your energy and giving you some of my own.” You kneel in front of Red Boy in that same room your burn was wrapped in. You hold the boy’s face in your hands gently, focused on taking care of his black eye.

The demon child is silent, leaning a bit into your healing hands while his attention stays entirely on you. “A little bit is enough to give you a little peace of mind, and if I need to, I can use some more to heal physical injuries.” Once you finish, you stand back to take a look at his face. It looks as though it was never injured in the first place.

You rise to your feet a bit too fast and take an unbalanced step back. You sway a bit, lightheaded but otherwise fine. Usually, you only use your gift like this in more dire circumstances, and you’re used to it taking more out of you than just this.

Still, Red Boy is quick to take your hand and guide you to sit down. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I just need a moment.” You reassure him, sitting back with a bit of a sigh. “Your injuries were pretty mild, but maybe you can restrain from punching yourself in the face anymore, alright?”

The boy quietly nods, frowning with this inquisitive look. “Is this why you said you couldn’t do it until your arm got better?” He asks with a hum.

You look away with a slight chuckle. “Ehh, that may have been an exaggeration. But generally, it’s easier for me to heal if my body isn’t busy trying to fix itself.”

Red Boy nods in understanding, his head tilting a bit in curiosity. “Well, if healing other people tires you out too much, can you take other people’s energy to make yourself better?”

“I, uh…” You hesitate, the question is a little uncomfortable. “…in theory, yes. That would involve putting another person at risk, though, so I wouldn’t even think of using it like that.” The idea of using the gift Guan Yin gave you to help people in such a way made your skin crawl, you wouldn’t wish that on anyone.

The boy’s brows furrow. “Why not? Father taught me that all my abilities have a use.” He argues, taking a seat next to you. “ I think that draining your enemies of their life would make things much easier for you and your monk friend.”

His reasoning makes you shake your head. “The easy way is not always the best route. Besides, I only fight to protect, and I can do that with my own strength and wit.” You smile, though your words are met with a disbelieving look.

“Do you really believe that?” He deadpans, apparently quite doubtful.

“I do.” You cross your arms, refusing to drop your smile.

Red Boy rolls his eyes with a scoff. “I think that’s nonsense. If you can make things easier for yourself, you should do it! The Samadhi Fire makes everything easier for me.”

“Really?” You hum, raising a brow to give him your own look of doubt. A fire you make when you punch yourself in the face doesn’t seem like the most practical power.

The boy’s eyes light up. “I’m not the best with my lance, but it doesn’t matter when I can just burn all my enemies to a crisp!” He looks down to his hands as he speaks, a mischievous grin crossing his face.

You frown for a moment, a little confused by his excitement. “I thought you said it’s difficult to control?”

“Oh, it is. Sometimes it just comes out when I get too mad.” He admits, glancing away as he rambles. “When I summon it, the fire just comes out of my face really fast– like my eyes and my mouth and stuff. I can’t really see where I’m shooting it, but as long as it hits whoever I’m fighting, it doesn’t really matter.”

“What if you’re fighting with an ally at your side? Or what if someone gets caught in the crossfire?” You question, which makes the boy look back at you for a moment. He goes to speak, but stumbles on his response before stopping himself.

You turn a bit to face the kid more. “I know the easy path feels– well, easy– but you should still work on controlling that fire of yours.”

Red Boy frowns, turning to look away from you with a grumble. “I know… it’s part of why Mother and Father sent me out here.” Oh?

He’s mentioned his parents a few times, but their lack of presence has definitely left you with questions. “They sent you here to learn how to control the Samadhi Fire?” You ask, leaning over a bit to see the troubled look on his face.

“I think I set a few too many fires at home. If I get too mad, it’s hard to stop the fire.” He confesses, bringing his knees close to his chest. “Plus, things are awkward right now and I don’t think they want me around.”

That makes you frown, why would he think that? You put a hand on his shoulder. “What makes you say that?”

Red Boy keeps his eyes wandering the room, his voice a bit annoyed. “Father left to live with some other woman, and Mother isn’t very happy about it.” He explains. “She said something about how Father forgot his manners and gave into his evil urges, like all men do.”

Oh. Oh, wow. That poor woman, this poor kid. “Mother said I could stay here for now so I can focus on training and getting better at controlling the Samadhi Fire, but I’m already good at that!” He pouts, looking back at you with an offended frown. “Yeah, I’m not really great, but I can control it enough!”

Wow, that was more than you were expecting. “Maybe so, but there is no such thing as too much practice. I am sure your mother would appreciate you keeping up with your training.” You offer him a small smile, it’s hard not to sympathise with the boy.

“Yeah, I know.” He groans, letting out a huff before resting his arms over his tucked knees.

“Make sure the next time you see her, she can see all the progress you’ve made.” You suggest. “I’m sure that would lift her spirits to see some improvement.”

Red Boy looks back at you, his brows furrowing at your words, thinking them over before cracking a little smile. “Yeah, maybe you’re right. Mother would like that.”

His response warms your heart a little. From how he’s spoken before, it’s clear he cares deeply for both his parents and what they think. It’s unfair to him to be in a situation like this, away from the both of them.

With a sigh, your gaze trails up to the ceiling. “You know, I never knew my own mother. She passed away when I was an infant, but my father was able to care for me. If I remember correctly, he had many duties in our village, but he mostly worked as a physician.”

“So being a healer runs in your family?” Red Boy hums, the question making you chuckle a bit.

You haven’t thought of it like that before. “Yes, I suppose it does.”

The boy hums, seemingly content as you lift a hand to massage your temple. You’re still feeling a bit light-headed, but you shouldn’t take too much longer. Part of you feels bad leaving the kid now, but your first priority is Tripitaka, and with your side of the deal done, there’s nothing stopping you from going back. You’ve already spent enough time here, but maybe you could check in on the boy after the journey is complete.

“I should be on my way now, Red Boy.” You sigh, glancing over to see the boy's look of disappointment.

Red Boy pouts a little. “Aw, already?”

“The others are still waiting for me.” You remind him. “I’ve spent enough time stalling our journey, and I still don’t know where Sun Wukong went off to.”

You go to stand, though you’re still a little shaky on your feet. Red Boy follows you to stand as well. “Are you sure? You still look drained.” He holds your arm to help steady yourself, the gesture sweet.

It’s funny to think he’s the same boy that wanted to eat Tripitaka and egged on Wukong. “It’s alright, I can rest properly once I’ve reunited with my friends.” You smile as he walks you to the cave opening, still holding onto your arm to help you. It’s like you’re an elderly woman he volunteered to assist.

When you get to the cave opening, you’re surprised to find the sun is nearly gone. Only a small trace of light remains in the west. It’s nearly night, did you really spend so long in the cave? It might be harder to find the others under the cover of night, but not impossible.

You step away from Red Boy, but he quickly tightens his hold on your arm. “The sun has set, you can’t go now!”

“They’re probably worried for me, Red Boy, I have to go.” You offer an apologetic look with a shrug, but he refuses to give in.

“But how will you find them in the dark? All the wild animals hunt at this time, it isn’t safe for you to wander through the mountain on your own.” He reasons, not giving you a chance to argue as he continues. “A-And you’re tired, too! Please, Miss, just stay here for another night? You said you would feel better after you rested, right? Mother would say a gentleman should never send a woman off on her own at night.”

You’re a little taken aback by his insistence, though you find his offer and reasoning cute. “I can even get you a fancy pillow, if you prefer to sleep as a dove!”

That gets you to laugh a bit. “It sounds like you’re being overly-sweet to get me to stay the night.”

“…Is it working?”

You shake your head in amusement, letting out a tired huff before looking out to the sky again. You’ve maybe got a half hour before the little light that’s left sinks into the horizon. With how far the flight was before, and with how tired you are now, you doubt you’d find them in time.

It wouldn’t be the end of the world if you rest here for the night, right? You have your weapons with you now, which definitely makes staying in a demon-filled cave feel a bit safer. You doubt Red Boy would have his demons do anything, and you can leave first thing in the morning. An insulated cave to protect from the wind is also a much nicer option compared to sleeping on the mountain in the open.

With a bit of a dramatic sigh, you look back at Red Boy. “Alright, I suppose I could stay the night.”

At your acceptance, the boy practically beams with excitement. “Great! Come, I can show you where the guest rooms are.” He drags you back in with a big smile, and you stumble a few times just to keep his pace as he runs through the halls. “My mother has some clothes she leaves here for when she visits, you can borrow her sleepwear if you want. I don’t think she’ll mind.”

Red Boy takes you to a nicely furnished bedroom before leaving you to rest. The minute your head makes contact with the pillow, your eyes begin to droop. It really has been a long day, as if getting pulled into a wind storm wasn’t exciting enough this morning. At least it’s all resolved now.

You’ll rest, wake up early, and find your friends. Hopefully Sun Wukong will be with them by then. Ha, to think the peach-loving sage was so concerned about you carrying Red Boy. It was a little rocky at first, but the kid isn’t so bad. He ended up being surprisingly sweet. You wish you could do more for him, he would definitely benefit from having someone around that wasn’t one of his soldiers. Someone to re-enforce those better habits of his and show him how not to do things like… well, like eating people.

As you drift off to sleep, you smile to yourself. You’re glad to have met the kid, but you can’t wait to see your friends in the morning…

.

.

.

.

.

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You wake to the crack of thunder.

You jolt up in bed, your heart racing from the sudden wake-up call. Several thumping footsteps can be heard outside your room, people shouting to one another in a panic as more thunder rumbles from somewhere outside. You’re not sure what time it is, but however long you slept has you feeling more energised now. But maybe it’s more than just your well-needed rest doing that.

The noise outside puts you on high alert, and you quickly jump out of bed to see what’s going on. When you exit your room, you’re nearly trampled by a horde of demons running through the corridors, handing off weapons to one another and fixing their armour.

More thunder echoes through the cave as you manoeuvre around them in an attempt to get outside. It sounds like there’s an intense storm, but yesterday had been nothing but clear skies! You make it to the cave opening, only to nearly be blinded by a flash of lightning.

The sounds of metal clashing and angry shouts are almost entirely drowned out by the storm overhead. Rain pours down over the scorched land around the cave, soldiers in scaled armour meet Red Boy’s army with steel, there’s fire everywhere you look. What is happening?! That scaled armour… is this one of the dragon kings? Why would one of their armies be here? What is going on?!

There’s so much rain, the stream that ran down the mountain by the cave has grown into rushing rapids. Even in the heavy downpour of the storm, the fires only grow, as though the water fuelled them more than the air around them.

All that fire– where is Red Boy?! You run out of the cave, scanning for the boy before hearing a shout from above. Overtop the mountain, the vicious cloud of smoke shoots out an unending spiral of fire.

Acting quick, you begin to rush up the mountain to get closer to the boy, switching between avian and human form to avoid flying arrows and spears, Flying up steeper parts of the mountainside while running where you can. You nearly slip a few times, the rain leaving you drenched and the ground a slippery mess.

As you get closer, you finally see him. It isn’t Red Boy you spot, but Sun Wukong jumping out of the smoky fumes atop his own cloud. He’s breathing heavily, his staff held securely in his grasp as he narrows his eyes at the fire that shoots out from the smoke.

“Wukong!” You call out to him, the monkey demon immediately freezing when he hears your voice. His head whips down to where you stand, and in an instant he is at your side.

He  tucks his staff into his ear before wrapping you in an embrace. The demon lets out a heavy sigh as you feel his arms wrap around you, one holding you by the back of your head. “Thank goodness you’re alright, I thought I might’ve taken too long.” He mumbles into your shoulder before lifting his head up to face you. The worry on his face is almost palpable, and you feel something pull at your chest.

You hate to see when he gets so worried. “Where’s Master? I need to get the two of you out of here.” His hands drop down to yours as he looks out over the two armies.

“He’s not here.” You frown, and Wukong looks back at you in confusion. “I got him out yesterday, he’s with Pigsy and Sandy. I was going to leave in the morning– where have you been?!”

“I went to find help dealing with the demon brat after our last fight.” He explains, his brows furrowed. “Sandy thought of using water to put out his flames, but…” The two of you look out to the battlefield. All the fire Red Boy is creating is only spreading, reaching farther and farther out.

Red Boy screams, and you look up to see the spiral of fire growing larger as it shoots wildly through the air. Your eyes widen in realisation, the boy’s words echoing in your head. “He can’t stop it.”

You take dove form, taking off before you’re caught by your foot. “Where are you going?!” Wukong gives you a look of exasperation, his hold preventing you from going any further.

He lets go as you turn back. “I need to calm him down! At this rate, he’ll kill everyone beneath him!” You explain, throwing your arm up to gesture to the boy.

“You think I’m letting you near that thing?!” Wukong steps closer, taking your shoulders in his hands. His tail lashes out, reflecting his anger as you shoot him a glare.

What does he think he’s talking about? Let you? “I’m not asking for your permission! Wherever the others are, there’s nowhere they’ll be able to hide if his fire burns down the mountain!”

The Great Sage returns your glare, but you refuse to give into the look. You won’t argue with him on this, not when all these people could get hurt, not when that kid needs help.

His nose scrunches for a moment before grumbling something under his breath. He looks away and summons his cloud, letting go of your shoulders. “You’re the most stubborn woman I know.”

“I’m well aware.” You nod before returning to avian form, the two of you flying up to the boy as his fire blazes across the battlefield.

The closer you get, the more the two of you have to duck and weave to avoid being hit by the flames. It’s near-impossible to predict where he shoots it next, sometimes the fire flickering out before coming back even greater than before and accompanied by the boy’s cries.

You look for an opening. If it weren’t for the thick cover of smoke, you might be able to figure out how to grab the boy. You dodge out of the path of the spiral again, finding an opportunity as it moves away, and you make your move.

As swift as you can, you dive for the smoke. Your vision quickly becomes obscured, the fumes heavy and thick. You can barely breathe, but you can’t stop here. You listen out for Red Boy, following his voice to navigate through the smoke.

 “Dove, look out!” Just as you’re about to reach him, you hear Wukong hurtling towards you. You’re about to grab the kid, there’s no time to look back before you hear Sun Wukong scream. You crash into Red Boy, he’s hot to the touch, like blood boiling beneath the surface of his skin.

You use your gift to soothe him while whipping around to look for your friend. Where did he go?! That scream– he must have been hit. But he’s the Monkey King, how could it have hurt him like that? Where is he?!

As the boy calms, the fire begins to dissipate. The smoke clears and the two of you begin to fall out of the sky and towards the rushing water below. You turn back, holding the now unconscious Red Boy in your arms as you search the sky for Sun Wukong. “Wukong!” What happened? Where is he? Why can’t you see him?! “Wukong!”

The fires across the battlefield extinguish all at once, and through the downpour you finally spot his limp form– just for a moment before he crashes into the water rapids. Wukong vanishes beneath the waves and you prepare to go in after him, turning your back towards the water to shield Red Boy before making contact with it. You slam into the water, plunging down before getting pushed downstream. You fight to surface, holding Red Boy and your own head above water.

With the boy in your hold, it’s a struggle to stay afloat in the rapids, but you do your best to scan the waters for your friend. “Wukong! Wukong, wh–” You can barely speak, the water choking your speech as your head goes under.

Once you reach the surface again, you start to push yourself to the riverbank and back towards the cave. You see Red Boy’s men falling back, all rushing to get back into the cave while you inch closer to land. By the time you reach the edge of the water, you’re hardly able to pull Red Boy onto land.

Your head swivels to and fro, searching for any signs of your friend as you run back to the cave. Red Boy begins to come to as you make it up the steps of his home, coughing up water while you're swept into the horde of demons rushing to get back inside. Arrows fire with lightning tight on their heels, and in the chaos you’re pushed inside.

Red Boy looks around in a worried panic, and seeing that he’s conscious, you set him down on his feet. “Are you alright?” You ask, the boy nodding hesitantly, confused. “Stay here, okay?” You don’t give him the chance to respond, your heartbeat echoing in your ears so loudly you couldn’t even hear him if he did say anything.

That scream– how hurt is he? Did he surface after he fell into the water? You run out to the lip of the cave, pushing past soldiers to try and get a better look. Where is he, dammit, where is he?!

“Wukong! Sun Wukong!” You call out, your throat scratching in pain. There’s nothing, not even a body floating downstream, where could he be? 

Bolts of lightning strike at the cave, but you refuse to move. You’ve never seen him go limp before, did he lose consciousness? Surely he would have resurfaced by now if he was conscious, right? What if he can’t? Can he drown?! Sandy and Pigsy usually take care of any demons underwater, dammit! What happened to him?!

He’s been hit by fire before, he should have been fine! No, what if the rapids pushed him further downstream? What if he’s at the bottom of the river? You have to move, now!

You move to run out when another lightning bolt strikes, this time hitting the cave just overhead and breaking off chunks of rock that come crashing down. They fall just at your feet, and you step back to avoid them. You look up in time to see more following, just barely giving you the time to jump back and avoid being crushed. You slip on the wet stone floor, falling back and scooting away as more of the entrance caves in.

By the time it stops, the only source of light in the surrounding area are the torches that are posted on the walls. The thunder begins to quiet, but your heart refuses to slow as the reality of the situation sinks in. “No… no!” You jump to your feet and throw yourself at the rubble blocking the entrance.

You begin to dig at the blockage, your mind racing with worry. Wukong, he’s hurt! You can’t be stuck in here, he’s– how is it even possible for fire to hurt him?! Forty-nine days in the Trigram Furnace did nothing to him– not even the Jade Emperor could kill him with fire, how is this any different? He might still be in the river, he can’t drown, there’s no way– but you thought there was no way he could get burned!

You fall to your knees, your mind racking with different questions and thoughts on what just happened– what you have to do. What can you do? Before you can spiral any further, Red Boy steps up to you. His eyes are watering, wide and scared. “I– I’m sorry.” His voice is shaking, barely even able to get the words out.

“I was trying to stop, I was trying to! I tried closing my eyes b-but it hurt– it just wasn’t stopping!” Tears run down his face, and the trembling boy is enough to ground you for a moment. You pull the child into your arms as he sobs. “I wasn’t trying to hurt anybody, I promise! They just attacked! I didn’t mean to use it, I swear!”

“It’s okay…” You mumble to the boy as you hold him close, rubbing his back in comfort. You can’t believe your own words, but it’s all you can think to say to him in the moment. “It’s gonna be okay.”

Sun Wukong, please be okay.

[jedineedlove]

LMK VS Legend: Li Jing, Nezha, & Family

Finally thought I would do this with the debut of Li Jing and Nezha's more frequent appearances. These two needed their page.Li JIng I could not find much so I made it a family page.

Legend:

Li Jing is renowned throughout the Shang dynasty as a high-ranking commander officer of the Old Pond Pass. Throughout his past, Li Jing studied under Mount Kunlun and soon became a master of exceedingly fast underground travel. His wife is Lady Yin, and he has three sons.

His Wife:

Lady Yin: She played a prominent role in the nurture of Nezha. According to legend, she is said to be the incarnation of the second daughter of the Jade Emperor. Her full name is Yin Wuming in the Fengshen Yanyi, and it is called Lady Yin in the Ming dynasty religious book The Collection of Gods in Three Religions

His Sons:

Jinzha: A disciple of the superiorman Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun. Originally, Jinzha was one of the Five Great Wisdom Kings in Tibetan Buddhism, also known as Kuṇḍali or sometimes as the Ganlu Mingwang (甘露王), who was responsible for longevity, healing, purification, and exorcism. However, due to potential influences from folk literature, the name "軍吒" (Junzha or Junzhalili) was changed to "金吒" (Jinzha) to align with the character "木吒" (Muzha). In folk temple festivals, Jinzha is often referred to as the "Great Crown Prince of Tuotuo Tianwang" and is worshipped in temples along the southern coastal regions.

Muzha: He is a disciple of the Bodhisattvas Samantabhadra and Guanyin. Muzha is worshipped as a deity in Chinese folk religion, known as Muzha Tianzun.

Nezha: He is a protection deity in Chinese Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Chinese folk religion. His official Taoist name is "Marshal of the Central Altar" (中壇元帥). He was then given the title "Third Lotus Prince" (蓮花三太子) after he became a deity.

Story:

Nezha's mother, Lady Yin, gave birth to a ball of flesh after gestating for three years and six months. Li Jing thought his wife had given birth to a demon and attacked the ball with his sword.

Li Jing and Nezha's relationship began as rocky because Nezha is disobedient and short-tempered. Nezha would cause untold chaos and trouble in the future, such as that with the Eastern Sea Dragon King Ao Guang. Nezha kills the Dragon King's son and gains his wrath.

When Nezha was seven years old, he became sick of the summer heat, and decided to take a bath in the nearby Jiuwan Stream, using his Red Armillary Sash (混天绫) as a towel. It sent tremors through the water, shaking the East Sea Dragon King, Ao Guang's undersea palace.

A Yaksha, Li Gen, was sent to investigate the disturbance. Nezha insulted him, causing him to attack Nezha and being killed by his Universal Ring (乾坤圈). The Dragon King's soldiers reported Li Gen's death to him, and Ao Bing, his third son, volunteered to deal with Nezha. Nezha slew him in combat, then pulled out his tendons to make a belt for Li Jing.

When Ao Guang learned of his son's death, he transformed into a human scholar and went to Li Jing's residence to protest. Nezha admitted to killing Ao Bing and returned his tendons to Ao Guang, who told Li Jing he would file a complaint to the Jade Emperor.

Facing his parents' wrath, Nezha went to Taiyi Zhenren for help. He drew an invisibility talisman on Nezha and told him to ambush Ao Guang under the Heavenly Gate.

Nezha beat the Dragon King forcing him to turn into a small snake and returned to Chentang Pass with him.

Upon arrival, Ao Guang transformed back into his human form, proclaiming he would gather the other Dragon Kings of the Four Seas and report the Li family to the Jade Emperor.

Lady Yin then sent Nezha into the back garden. He climbed up the barbican, where he came across the Universal Bow (乾坤弓) and Sky Shaking Arrows (震天箭) of the Yellow Emperor, sitting on a weapon rack. Eager for some archery practice, he lifted the bow and shot an arrow into the air, which flew all the way to White Bone Cave and killed the Verdant Cloud Boy (碧云童子), an acolyte of Lady Shiji (石矶娘娘). Because Li Jing had carved his name onto the arrow, Shiji went to Chentang Pass, seized him, and took him back to her abode.

Li Jing explained to her that no one had been strong enough to lift the Yellow Emperor's bow since it was placed in Chentang Pass, and she allowed him to return to the pass to find the real culprit. When he learned that Nezha was responsible, he took his son back to the White Bone Cave to answer to Shiji. Nezha attacked her other acolyte and tried to fight Shiji, but had both of his weapons taken away, forcing him to flee to his master's abode. Taiyi Zhenren killed Shiji with the flames of the Nine Dragon Divine Bell Cover (九龙神火罩), reducing her to her true form: a rock.

Nezha was then informed that the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas, with the permission of the Jade Emperor, had come for his parents. Due to Nezha causing trouble in the Eastern Sea Dragon's Kingdom, Li Jing was required to give his life to Ao Guang if he did not sacrifice Nezha. But Nezha sacrificed himself, handing over his flesh to his parents.

Nezha then appeared in his mother's dream. In the dream, he asked her to build a temple for him, so that his soul would have a place to rest. His mother then secretly built a temple for Nezha, and this temple later flourished. This temple became well-known and grew vastly because Nezha granted miracle cures to the sick and the crippled.

Following the bitter luck attained with his third son, Li Jing burned the sacrificial temple, Lady Yin would be scolded by Li Jing profusely following this point.

However, due to the temple burning, this made Nezha wish to kill his father.

After Nezha was reincarnated, his body remade by his master Taiyi Zhenren, his father saw him and said, "You vermin! When you were my child, you caused untold calamities. Why do you reincarnate and disturb the peace?" Thus, a major conflict between Li Jing and Nezha began to unfold.

After battling Nezha, Li Jing soon realized that his mortal body did not match 1 to 100 compared to that of Nezha's. Thus, he ran as fast as he could underground in a state of incredible fear for his life.

Luckily, Li Jing happened to run into his second son, Muzha. Following Muzha's defeat by Nezha's hands, Li Jing tried to commit suicide. Wenshu Guangfa Tianzun ( a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun and one of the Three Great Immortals, holding the fifth position among the Twelve Golden Immortals.) saved Li Jing's life and containing Nezha. Nezha was then forced to submit to his father after being restrained by another superiorman by the name of Randeng Daoren (renowned as the Superiorman of Mount Condor, Intuition Cave.)

[In popular culture, Nezha's killing of Li Gen and Ao Bing is often seen as a result of Ao Guang demanding young boys and girls from Chentang Pass as sacrifices. When the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas threatened to flood Chentang Pass in retaliation, Nezha committed suicide to save his family and the people. That plot is only found in the 1979 Shanghai Animation Film Studio movie, Nezha Conquers the Dragon King, and not in the Fengshen Yanyi novel or Qing dynasty opera adaptations.]

JTTW:

In Journey to the West, Nezha was a general under his father, "Pagoda-wielding Heavenly King" Li Jing. He fought the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, when the latter rebelled against the Jade Emperor.

They later became friends. Nezha made some appearances in the novel to help the four protagonists defeat powerful demons including his adoptive sister, Lady Earth Flow.

His origin story is different from the other legends. After he caused havoc in the Eastern Ocean, the Heavenly King had been so worried about the disastrous consequences that he decided to kill Nezha. Thus Nezha returned his flesh and blood to his mother and bones to his father. Then Nezha's soul went to the Buddha, who resurrected him. After, he used his vast powers to subdue 96 caves of demons through dharma. After this Nezha wanted to kill his father because he had to remove every piece of flesh and every stain of blood to return his bones to his father. The heavenly king had no choice but to seek help from the Buddha. The Buddha gave him an intricately made golden pagoda, in each story of which were Buddhas radiant with splendor. The Buddha told Nezha to regard these Buddhas as his father, thus ending the hatred between the father and the son and Li Jing earned the title of Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King.

In the JTTW Li Jing and Nezha gain another family member Lady Earth Flow.

Lady Earth Flow (地涌夫人) is a yaoguai who is actually a Golden-Nosed Albino Rat Spirit (金鼻白毛老鼠精) who obtained her powers after practising Taoist arts for 300 years and secretly consuming sacred candles at Vulture Peak. After she was captured by Li Jing and Nezha, she was supposed to be executed but the Buddha told them to spare her life. She was so grateful that she acknowledged Li Jing as her godfather and Nezha as her godbrother. Later, she moved to the Bottomless Pit (無底洞) at Flaming Air Mountain (焰空山) and armed herself with a pair of swords. When the protagonists pass by Black Pines Forest (黑松林), she disguises herself as a damsel in distress to attract Tang Sanzang's attention. Tang Sanzang takes pity on her and lets her accompany them to a nearby temple, but Sun Wukong sees through her guise. She eats six monks in the temple and captures Tang Sanzang when Sun Wukong and the others are distracted. Sun Wukong finds out her true identity later and brings Li Jing and Nezha to subdue her and take her back

[According to The Journey to the West, Nezha was born with the word Ne written on the palm of his left hand and zha on his right, hence his name.]

[In Journey to the West, Muzha became a disciple of Guanyin in the heavenly court, with the legal name Hui An. When he was ordered to conquer the sand demon, and later Sun Wukong lost to the Red Boy, Hui An borrowed 36 Tian Gang swords from his father Li Jing to help the Guanyin Bodhisattva conquer the Red Boy, making him a good boy under the Guanyin.]

LMK:

Ji Ling:

After the Brotherhood, Li Jing was assigned the responsibility of overseeing the Celestial Realm with the Jade Emperor gone. The universe was teetering on the brink of destruction due to the damage caused to the Pillar of Heaven by the Jade Emperor's demise.

Li Jing harbored concerns that Monkey King's actions could exacerbate the impending destruction of the universe.Monkey King challenged Li Jing, asserting that he couldn't be stopped, not even by the Celestial Pagoda. While Li Jing acknowledged the truth in Monkey King's claim, he swiftly subdued him by placing a circlet on his head. Ne Zha tried to intervene on their behalf, but Li Jing swiftly silenced him, putting an end to any further discussion.

After breaking out of prison, MK, Monkey King, and Macaque returned Megapolis where Li Jing caught up to them. Li Jing swiftly closed in on Monkey King, tightening the circlet around his head. Macaque intervened by teleporting both MK and Monkey King to safety inside the Team Power Truck. As they made their escape, Macaque was eventually overpowered by Li Jing, who imprisoned him in the Celestial Pagoda.

In Harbinger; Li Jing and Ne Zha met up with the Monkie Kids and Monkey King, where Li Jing believed that the Pillar of Heaven was now irreparable, leading them all to confront the reality of the universe's impending destruction as the Great Cycle approached its end. As Li Jing looked at Ne Zha, he felt a mix of pride and regret for not having more time to share with him.

When the World was saved; After some time, Li Jing saw Ne Zha leading the Celestial Warriors in the rebuilding of the Celestial Realm, and made him smile in approval.

Nezha:

Ne Zha is a heavenly deity from the Celestial Realm, serving as both a member of the Celestial Court and a guardian. A stern and responsible celestial. He is occasionally short-tempered, mostly in regards to the Monkey King, though is shown to be understanding and kind to MK. He is often seen being understandably exasperated and annoyed.

During the Monkey Kings attempt to reforge the Samadhi Fire to defeat Lady Bone Demon,Ne Zha tried to stop him too late due to Macaque's interference. Ne Zha discovered that Mei held one of the four fragments of the Samadhi Fire and teamed up with MK to prevent Monkey King from reaching Lady Bone Demon, but Monkey King was corrupted by her and defeated Ne Zha by encasing him in crystal. Ne Zha was eventually freed during the final battle with Lady Bone Demon and aided the Monkie Kids in destroying her.

Later, Red Son warned Ne Zha about the Brotherhood's plan to attack the Celestial Realm. Despite his best efforts, Ne Zha was overpowered and injured by the Brotherhood, seeking refuge on Flower Fruit Mountain with the Monkie Kids. After the final standoff with the Brotherhood, Ne Zha safeguarded the Power of the Jade Emperor in a seal and vowed to protect it.

During Season 5, he was a silent character till the end when he stopped his father from interfering with the Monkie Kids Crew.

Images :

Overley Sarcastic Productions.

https://www.viewofchina.com/nezha/

LMK Screen Shots

[ryin-silverfish]

So, Erlang appears as far as I know in these stories: Him saving his mother, Fengshen Yanyi, Jttw, The Fox spirit of Blue stone mountain, That story when he gets drunk and Lotus lantern

I don't remember the exact names of these stories, but I wanted to ask if he appears in other novels or stories?

Well, since you said "stories", I'll just be listing the ones with a narrative and not the historical records.

There are three Yuan-Ming Zaju plays that featured Erlang as a main character: "Erlang Drunkenly Shot the Demon-Locking Mirror" (二郎神醉射锁魔镜), "Erlang Subdues the Great Sage Equal to Heaven" (二郎神锁齐天大圣) and "Erlang of Guankou Slew the Flood Dragon" (灌口二郎斩健蛟).

Also, all three Erlangs in these stories are Zhao Erlang/Zhao Yu.

In 董永沉香合集, which I used for my Lotus Lantern Summaries, there was also an addendum that featured Erlang's own mom-saving story, called 新��二郎劈山救母全段.

It is based on the Precious Scroll, but with a lot of new twists. Here, Erlang's title is the "Golden Flower Prince", who, after the "carrying the mountains & chasing the suns" thing, got invited to a banquet by JE.

After he got drunk, he asked about why he didn't have parents, and JE tearfully went "Yeah...go ask QMoW about that." So he went, and QMoW revealed his family tree.

His mother is one of nine sisters born of QMoW: the oldest is married to Ao Guang, Dragon King of the East Sea, the second oldest, Devaraja Li Jing, and she was "Third Sister Zhang" (张三姐), who married the mortal Yang Tianyou and gave birth to him.

While washing his diapers, she stirred up the waters of the rivers and four seas, which pissed off Ao Guang and caused him to submit a complaint to the JE, who sent out celestial soldiers to capture her and failed.

Then SWK stepped in and put his mom under a mountain. QMoW then told him to go to Lao Tzu and get the "Mountain-Cleaving Axe", but when Lao Tzu opened up his treasury, he found the axe missing and pointed him to the Lower Realms.

Turns out...the axe had become a demon and was demanding human sacrifices, so he beat up the axe demon, reverted it to its weapon form, and headed straight to his mom's mountain prison to free her.

After that, he was appointed "True Master of Illustrious Sagicity" and was planning to go after SWK in revenge, but the JE told him that SWK had already been subdued and was now accompanying Tripitaka on his westward pilgrimage, so there was no need.

He also appeared in the 19th century 八仙得道传 ("Legends of the Eight Immortal Attaining the Dao"), which is quite a quirky novel that, nonetheless, seemed to have inspired a lot of the things in the Lotus Lantern + Prequel TV shows.

(I'd probably talk about the novel in the final part of the Lotus Lantern Summaries, so stay tuned!)

[ruibaozha]

An Exceedingly Brief Introduction to Nezha's Weapons

Hello hello! This post has been re-formatted out of an ask for visibility purposes.

I'm sure items like Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels and Flame Tipped Spear are well known iconography, but in the spirit of over-explaining I would like to describe where these weapons came from among others within his arsenal. This post will overlap with a handful of points I had been saving for a post describing Nezha's military career so I apologize if anything stated becomes redundant.

Did you know that Nezha's conflicts with Ao Guang and the Lady Rock Demoness pre-date the publication of Canonization of the Gods? These stories appear elsewhere succinctly within the Ming-period encyclopedia The Grand Compendium of the Three Religions' Deities which record the careers of more than a hundred divinities, like Guanyin and Mazu (1). One of which described is Nezha. The translated description of his strength is as follows:

Nezha was originally a great arhat-immortal in the service of the Jade Emperor. He was six feet tall, his head crowned by a golden disc. He had six heads, nine eyes, and eight arms. He puffed out dark clouds. He stood on a large rock. His hand weilded an instrument of the law (falü). He roared loudly, summoning clouds and rain, shaking Heaven and Earth. Because the world was full of demon-kings, the Jade Emperor ordered him incarnated on earth ... The demons were all subdued by Nezha: The Bull Demon King, the Lion Demon King, the Elephant Demon King, the Horse-Headed Demon King, the World-Devouring Demon King, the Mother-of-Demons Demon King, the Nine-Headed Demon King, the Tārā Demon King, the Brahmā Demon King, the five-hundred yakshas, and the seventy-two Fire Crows all surrendered to him. (2)

And this reputation as a devout acolyte of either the Buddha or the Jade Emperor depending on which era you are drawing upon is something to be elaborated upon later. The very difference between it being the World-Honored One or the Jade Emperor sending Nezha to quell these demons is worthy of it's own elaborations, however we are here to discuss the two iconic stories that lead to his eventual suicide. Even within the pages of The Grand Compendium he could not escape his own demise:

When he was five days old, Nezha went bathing in the Eastern Ocean. He trampled over the [dragon king's] Crystal Palace. He somersaulted straight to the top of the Precious Pagoda. Because he had trampled over his palace, the infuriated dragon king challenged him to fight. By then, Nezha was already seven days old, and he could overcome the nine dragons. The old dragon had no choice, except complaining to the [Jade] Emperor. The General [Nezha] knew of his intention. Intercepting him by Heaven's Gate, he killed the dragon. Mounting the Jade Emperor's altar, Nezha took the Buddha's bow and arrows. He shot an arrow, unintentionally killing Lady Rock's son. Lady Rock raised an army to fight him. The General [Nezha] took the Demon-Felling Club from his father's altar and, fighting his way Westwards, slew her. Considering that Lady Rock had been the demons' chief, Nezha's father was infuriated. He worried lest his son's killing her would provoke the demon hordes to war. Therefore, the General [Nezha] sliced off his flesh and bones, returning them to his father. Holding fast to his inner soul (zhen ling), he hastened to the Buddha's side, pleading that the World-Honored One make him complete once more. Considering that Nezha could subdue demons, the Buddha snapped a lotus flower. He fashioned it's stem into bones, it's roots into flesh, it's fiber into tendons, and it's leaves into clothes, giving life to Nezha once more. (3)

There are of course similarities and differences but I mention this as it sets forward a number of precedents. Established is the moment Nezha is bathing in the river, the conflict with the dragon king Ao Guang, the presence of a bow and arrow, subjugation of a rock-spirit, and introduction of his iconic lotus motifs to name a few. But more pressingly it helps set the stage for what is perhaps the earliest known documentation of these tales.

Between 1228 and 1250 the Quanzhou Pagodas were constructed, the stone monuments depicting 80 Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints, and guardian divinities. The ground floor features ferocious martial gods protecting the stupa's gates so it is not a surprise that Nezha is found here protecting those behind him. Within the southest corner of the Eastern Pagoda's ground level, flanking both sides of the ornamental gate, are the tablets showing a benign and wrathful Nezha.

Notice the dragon beneath his feet, the belt made from it's tendons in his left hand and the divine bow in his right.

Notice the six arms and three heads. Alongside holding a sword, Nezha is also holding both a sun and a moon which was typical of many Tantric deities (4).

I only look so far back to help establish the image of the Nezha I am about to describe. The Song and Ming periods had a penchant for depicting Nezha with a fire-emanating wheel and/or fire-emanating ball such as within Hong Mai's Record of Hearsay (夷堅志). The story follows a Jiangxi ritual master named Cheng who was attacked by a strong stone spirit, he recites the "Spell of Nezha's Fireball" to summon him.

Cheng anxiously recited a spell and walked the Big Dipper Outline. The prodigy showed not the slightest fear and gradually pressed in against his body. Cheng realized that this was a stone spirit. Consequently he recited the "Spell of Nezha's Fireball" and, forming a mudrā, recited: "Divine General! Can you tolerate a wang-liang demon obstructing my way? Expel him forthwith!" Suddenly a fireball emerged from behind Cheng's body and struggled with the black lump. After a while a noise burst out, like clashing metal, and the black lump disappeared. The fireball made several revolutions around Cheng's body and also vanished. (5)

The Ming-era fiction, theatre dramas and overly-flattering literature largely named Nezha's fiery weapon as a Dharma wheel, a fire wheel, or a golden wheel. Within The Grand Compendium Nezha is using the Dharma wheel, in Zhu Youdun's The Bodhisattva Manjusri Subjugates the Lion Nezha is using the golden wheel against the fearsome animal, and the 1592 edition of The Journey to the West describes his "lightning-propelled fire wheel"(6). The presence of the fire wheel is not completely unique to Nezha though as it is an ancient emblem of Buddhist law, a similarly Ming-era mural within the Beijing Fahai Temple showing a Tantric deity with six arms and a weapon held by each. The flame wheel is also present here.

The flame wheel was not alone though, often Nezha would have an embroidered ball accompanying it. The Journey to the West would explain it's use in conjunction with the flaming wheel: "The lightning propelled fire wheel was like darting flame; Hither and thither the embroidered ball rotated"(7).

Even Nezha's golden brick has it's roots. Mark Meulenbeld has argued that the golden brick used against his brother Muzha within Canonization of the Gods has origins in Ming Daoist scriptures. The ritual compendium The Daoist Methods United in Principle, which predates Canonization by over two centuries, recommends the use of golden bricks for locking demons in bottles (8).

Equally an argument can be made that Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels and Flame Tipped spear have roots within Daoist exorcism with Buddhist overlap. By the fifteenth century edition of The Daoist Methods United in Principle Nezha is described weilding the golden brick, a golden spear, and riding fire wheels(9).

There are of course other weapons to address, like his qiankun pouch, the qiankun hoop, his sky ribbon, and the Nine Dragon Holy Fire Cover. Please let me know if there is curiosity for these other weapons.

Citations:

(1) This compendium survives presently in both a Ming-era edition titled Sanjiao yuanliu shengdi fozu sou shen daquan (三教源流搜神大全) and a Qing-era edition titled Huitu sanjiao yuanliu soushen daquan (绘图三教搜神大全).

(2) Within the Ming-era edition this description is present on pages 326-327. Within the Qing-era edition, 330-331.

(3) Within the Ming-era edition this is described on page 326. Within the Qing-era edition, page 330.

(4) It is worth saying that this well may not be Nezha. The pagodas lack cartouches. Within Twin Pagodas of Zayton G. Ecke and P. Demiéville cite a local tradition to identify the three-headed six-armed guardian as an asura demon and the opposite image as the dragon king Sāraga. However a proper association between the images is never made and both the bow and tendons are unexplained.

(5) The translation used here is by Edward Davis within Society and the Supernatural on pages 47-48. Within Hong Mai's Yijian zhi the original is on pages 1429-1430. Davis identifies Cheng as a village ritual master and thus distinguished from Daoist priests. However, Li Fengmao's Wuying xinyang on pages 573-574 highlights the orthodox Daoist elements within Cheng's performance.

(6) It may be worth comparing editions here. Take the Ming and Qing era editions of The Grand Compendium page 326 and page 330 respectively against Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West 4.44, translated by Anthony Yu on 1:129.

(7) This is also Anthony Yu's translation within 1:129.

(8) Daofa huiyuan, DZ 1220, 240.11a, 138.13a and Fahai yizhu, DZ 1166, 15.17a; Meulenbeld's chapter 5 of Demonic Warfare.

(9) Daofa huiyuan, DZ 1220, 138.13a.

[imminent-danger-came]

hi (its the anon who sent you the ask about misogyny lol/correct opinions anon (i dont think my opinions are that great but thank you!) except im not on anon anymore lol) ive been meaning to ask you now you feel about the hero mk warrior mei thing; its by far the most popular interpretation of the hero and warrior dichotomy being applied to mk and mei and it IS a concept İ personally like in my head (İ ❤️ tragedy) but the fandom interpretation has kind of ruined it for me (personally) because it feels like a lot of people only take mk's role in the narrative into consideration and just kind of slot mei into the warrior role without much thought toward her actual character or importance to the plot. that doesnt mean İ hate the idea by any means, but it does kind of make me more critical towards it lol

İ am personally kind of biased towards the hero mei warrior mk thing because for one, İ think mei-swk parallels create such an interesting conflict for mei, and two, because its the less popular interpretation in the fandom İ dont have to see as many bad takes on it haha (im joking)

(also there are SO many parallels between mei & swk that i rarely see pointed out by other fans... like i outside of you i dont see Imk bloggers point them out very often 💔 (ive *never* seen someone point this out before but do think mei stealing the jacket she that gives to mk in 3×02 from ao guang parallels swk stealing the staff from ao guang?))

all of that aside though, im not personally sold on either of these options! İ dont think mk & mei directly fit into the roles of the hero and warrior in the same way as macaque and wukong did! to me it feels like the hero & warrior dichotomy is being set up to be subverted by the show to an extent (whether thats because the show is going to have mei take on the role of the hero, or because mk and mei wont fight at all, or a secret third thing is up to your personal interpretation lol); especially when you take into account the average audience's perspective on the hero and warrior stuff; the obvious conclusion that ive seen most people make is to have mk as the hero and mei as the warrior with most people not even considering mei as the hero/mei paralleling swk! İ dont think this means that mei-swk parallels dont exist (İ spent a decent bit of this ask talking about them LOL) but because they require more inference on the audience's part they dont get talked about as much, which does make me think that show is going to call it into attention at some point (although İm not great with predictive analysis haha, im mostly just putting my thoughts on the table here)

thats pretty much all İ have to say on the topic lol (sorry İ rambled so much haha) im not sure that last bit makes sense AT ALL but hear me out im cooking! İ meant to reccomend some songs that İ thought fit the Imk characters ages ago that İ forgot about lol, anyway İ think burn by the cure is SUCH a samadhi fire mei song. like its one of those songs where it feels like it was made for the character. big shot by jhariah fits like. 90% of the Imk cast imo. like İ know everyone in the comments section is talking about spamton and yes the song is very spamton coded BUT if you erase all your preexisting memories of spamton and only imagine monkie kid characters with it, it becomes a macaque/mei/swk/mk/whoever-coded song. like "think you're a big shot / İ think you're raveled up in a tangle of did nots / you're always just a bit shy, following behind" is so shadowpeach divorcecoded to me. "yeah it's not fair, İ know it's not fair / you aint the only star that's been left for dead" is so shadow play coded to me (it sounds more shadow play coded in the actual song trust me here). İ also think martyr by depeche mode is a samadhi fire mei song (although im pretty sure you could say any depeche mode song is Imk character coded and youd be right aha) also İ think ヘヴンリーユー by lonepi kind of goes down the same route as big shot where you could apply it to multiple lmk characters and it would still fit. its kind of a mei & mk take on the roles of the hero and warrior type thing to me (their asses are NOT escaping samsara!) (one of the english translations of one of the lyrics is literally "time and time again" (what mei says in 3x10) İ think those are all the songs ive been meaning to mention here as of right now ! sorry if this ending seems abrupt İ just dont know how to end asks haha

faggotvivsection I can't believe it was you the whole time! *MK 2x05 voice* What a twist! I always enjoy seeing you in my notes, so hello :)

Anyways, as for the 3x02 Mei and Wukong parallels, I think it goes deeper than just Mei stealing the jacket!

Ao Guang: "Stealing from me? On orders from the Monkey King no doubt."

Mei also steals the map from Ao Guang on behalf of Wukong, just like he had stolen the staff in the past. I think in a way, the map and the staff were both "roadmaps" to get more power, you know. The map enabled them to unseal the rings, and the staff gave Wukong a suitable weapon.

Ao Guang specifically comments on both Mei and Wukong's weapons, Mei with her sword and Wukong with stealing the staff. In a way, both of their weapons are dragon related, one from the Dragon of the West and another from the Dragon of the East.

When it comes to hero and warrior mk/mei, I lean towards both! I think they're both the hero and the warrior for each other in their own respective ways. I love warrior Mei specifically because of 3x10, and because MK refuses to abandon her thus subverting the typical progression of the hero warrior dynamic (even if he can often be dismissive of Mei, stealing things from her [2x06, 3x03], putting a strain on his relationships for power [1x06, 2x03, 2x06, 2x07, 3x03]). I think moving forward however, Hero Mei and Warrior MK are far more likely to play out!

I have a whole samadhi fire part 3 tag centered around a parallel prediction, where we continue the parallel that was set up in 3x10 and 4x08, and while MK is on the verge of destroying the world have Mei get through to MK and reach him. In 3x10 MK is actually able to reach Mei...but in 4x08, MK runs away before Mei can make it to him. So if we had a moment where they were able to close that gap, and neither of them leaves, it'd be really satisfying. I am a huge believer in Hero Mei Warrior MK, don't let anyone ever tell you it isn't real.

Anyhow, onto the song recs:

Burn by the Cure

"Oh don't talk of love" the shadows purr Murmuring me away from you "Don't talk of worlds that never were The end is all that's ever true There's nothing you can ever say Nothing you can ever do" Still every night I burn Every night I scream your name Every night I burn Every night the dream's the same Every night I burn Waiting for my only friend Every night I burn Waiting for the world to end

What a "Samadhi Fire Mei pov toward MK" song am I right. It's also very Warrior Mei ("It follows the tragic tale of a legendary Warrior, and how those who bring light into this world, inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear" -> "Oh don't talk of love the shadows purr", love a good light and dark motif)

Big Shot by Jhariah

Though I may love Spamton, and this is a very stage motif-y "There is no audience" kinda song, I do get the Shadow Play vibes (it's also giving theater Kid Macaque versus Wukong have stage fright lol), and over course it's overtly shadowpeach-esque. I also get a little bit of s2/s3 Macaque @ MK, especially with "You ain't the only star that's been left for dead"

Yeah it’s not fair, I know it’s not fair You ain't the only star that’s been left for dead I asked about your name on the moon It was quiet nobody knew you Aim like an atom who swears it’s going to shoot you Are you the only one-of-one to be found? If you could see the rest, would it bring you back down? You’re no big shot, think you’re a big shot I think you’re raveled up in a tangle of did nots You’re always just a bit shy, following behind I think you’ve spent enough time Singing the same lines

Martyr by Depeche Mode

I've been a martyr for love And I will die in the flames As I draw my last breath As I close in on death I will call out your name I've been a martyr for love Nailed up on the cross While you're having your fun As the damage is done I'm assessing the cost

THE SAMADHI FIRE MEI @ WUKONG OF IT ALL. Mei having to bear the consequence of Wukong's decisions, potentially burning herself from the inside out.

ヘヴンリーユー (Heavenly You) by lonepi

As the moon waned, I realized you weren't with me anymore. As the dawn of the new day broke, I hid my tear-swollen voice amidst the morning dew. You had said something like, "It's all my fault that you're this way." That's right, it's your fault. But just remember, that's not all of it. Every time my positives overcome the negatives, you toss them in the trash and do it over. You've stanched all those opportunities away from me time and time again.

The first pair that comes to mind is MK @ Wukong, or Macaque @ Wukong, but I think MK @ Mei would be interesting, even if not exactly canon. Mei is carrying MK's mental health on her lone shoulders, so that being disregarded in favor of blaming her for his problems...I dig that sort of broken Mei & MK dynamic.

[noisymutantherelol]

Mk crew x toothless!reader

°Mk tells you everything even about the lady bone demon

°Mk and you fly around the city often

°You are the most loved one in the group,and feared(For reasons)

°Tang finds you rather adorable,so dose Mei

°You and Mei are a Power Duo,and siblings

°You are pigsy's and tangs kid,Tang checks your mechanical (?) Fin thing

°Sandy gives you the best scratches

°When Monkey King first meet you,he found you sweet but when you got angry......He has a new stage of PTSD-

-S3 timeline now-

°When the lady bone demon appeared,Mei's first instinct was to check on you

°You were pissed when you saw Mk hurt you tried to Use ur powers and then went ✨invisible✨ before shooting her again

°You Definitely did not like Macaque when he showed up *angry cat dragon mode*

°you almost fried his ass bro

°You were just • ^• while the ship was going ✨Undah tha SeA✨

°You were just looking at Ao guang like "bro,are you fr?", you had to help sandy clean

°You shot down the wall of the prison with Mei saying,"Dragon Bazooka, DEPLOY " BANG

°Mk betted you first cuz your you and your a powerful being

Pt.2 is still in the makes........

[the-monkey-ruler]

I'm always curious about Peng, why are his nephews said to be murdered like some people say? Do demons always get unfair treatment in some stories? Or is it more that humans can be forgiven more easily by the gods agaisnt harmless demons?

I’m afraid that you might have the demon confused because Peng does not have nephews... unless you mean the Buddha? Because that is his "god-nephew" so to speak. He has a sister but I’m not familiar with his sister having biological children. Do you mean the Immortal Ruyi? His nephew being Red Boy? Or the Seven Fox King, his nephews being Golden Horn and Silver Horn? Or even Ao Guang with his nephew being the rouge dragon Toulong? There are a lot of demons or dragons or even celestials with nephews but please send my the passage where it says the Golden Wing Peng has nephews because I cannot find that anywhere.

And I can’t say that Yaoguai always get mistreated as these stories were originally created as omens, demons being the symbolic nature of desires or temptations, that people have to mentally overcome. It is only in recent media, or even in recent years does the idea that Yaoguai being more than physical embodiments of evil and desire, actually comes into fruition. So I can say that with a lot of modern media, they make these demons a lot more sympathetic, and even relatable to the audience but originally, that was never meant to be the case, and thus any punishment put on the was never meant to cause harm to the audience because you relate to the demon, but rather being a sense of justification because the demon is meant to relate to the hardships of the world. Even in White Snake, it is only with the latest iteration that is it a love story of two people who cannot be together rather than cautious that even your wife isn’t who you think they are. Stories and meanings change over time depending on the audience, but the original intention should always be kept in mind.

Humans can be forgiven for sins because they have that nature in them that they can change and even be more and grow more. Humans by nature are able to reach that point in the wheel of reincarnation, where they can reach, enlightenment through their actions, unlike animals. Animals are meant to wait for their karma to balance out so that in the next life, they could be human to reach that enlightenment but otherwise, if they skip that step, it is considered going against the laws of nature. Even Yaoguai that are considered harmless are still defying their karma by skipping their human steps and waiting for the next life. Nowadays we see a lot of modern media play with Yaoguai struggles and it is great media but Yaoguai were created with the idea of being almost like cryptic or just beings that defy the laws of nature and thus bring chaos. Yaoguai where created with that conception, and I think when looking back on the stories, it wouldn’t be fair to try to put that modern perception of sympathetic villains onto villains that were very one-dimensional. Like nowadays, it can be fun to dissect villains and try to find relatable connections with the audience, but I never want to try to say that was the original creation's intention ever.

I did find a passage when looking more into any references to Peacock in the story and I do see that the Peacock had two disciples I don't think this is what you were thinking cause you said nephews and this is a boy and a girl bird. Also they were not murdered out of spite or anything that they did wrong but because they are... birds, just shot down by an unknowing king. It’s like accidentally fucking around and finding out when he was just going on a completely normal hunt of the day. In reality, there was no way of the king to know that these birds where different from any other he hunted, and while sad was never malicious in his actions. Hunting itself isn't a crime, just that he was unlucky enough to choose far too important targets. Heaven actually does punish the king for UNKNOWINGLY killing birds that just so happen to be under Heaven's protection because the Peacock demanded justice for her disciples. She is right to do so but this does show actual favoritism to the animals over the humans in this rare case because they have a celestial's backing. He was forced to be sick for three years and have his own wife taken from him like how this couple was ripped apart. That is why Guanyin's steed the Jupiter's Rival kidnaps his wife as karma. So if anything this was a human facing punishment for harming heavenly animals.

Again I have never read anything about the Golden Winged Peng having nephews, so if you could send me a link or passage from the book or anything that would be great.

Edit: a friend has told me they are her children so the offspring is correct! A boy and a girl!

[deltaclaws]

Monkie Kid: Creature's Comforts, Chapter 2- Non-Potable Nonsense

A chapter that ended up way bigger than planned and took me way longer than I liked to cut down and finish, whoo! Pop over to AO3 if you'd prefer to read it there!

[Prev. chapter]

___________________

“Sooo,” Wukong started as he hopped off his cloud, landing with a disgusting ‘squelch’ at the bottom of the pathway up to his hut, “That could’ve been worse.” He turned back and gave a forced smile to his student, meanwhile tugging off his sopping wet scarf that had been choking him for most of the ride back to Water Curtain Cave.

“Wuh-worse?” MK echoed- landing with an equally gross ‘squit’ thanks to waterlogged shoes. He flipped back his once-fluffy fringe that had been laid flat against his eyes to send an incredulous stare to his mentor. “I dropped us in the ocean. F-for like, the second time!” he added past chattering teeth, taking a moment to wring out his tail.

Monkey King offered a half-shrug as he tilted his head away. “Yeah well, this time,” he counted off on one hand, “It was an accident, you didn’t lose your stuff, and!” he rebuked, holding up a finger as he slung his poor scarf over a nearby branch that promptly snapped under the weight, “We didn’t end up at Ao Guang’s palace. I consider that a win.” the stone monkey finished cheerfully. He sat himself on a blissfully warm rock and began taking his boots off. To no surprise, they were full of sea water, and one very confused shrimp.

MK huffed an annoyed breath through his nose as he plopped his duffel down to shrug off his jacket. “It wh-wouldn’t have happened if I could control my, myuhuh,” He stuttered, nose wrinkling and mouth hanging open. He turned away in time, avoiding splattering Wukong with spit as he let out a rather adorable sneeze, accompanied by a light show. The small ‘ka-chew’ did not fit the “drowned rat” style MK had going- which is, coincidentally, what he turned into after the cloud of magic dissipated.

Monkey King was making sure to be a better mentor for MK. Part of that included biting the inside of his cheek to keep from letting out a snort of very inappropriate laughter as he watched his poor, small, sick student wriggle out from under his discarded jacket. Once he was free of his wet confines, MK checked over his new form, and let out a high pitched groan of indignation as he slapped his tiny rat feet over his tiny rat eyes. “Two years spent learning how to use my 72 transformations, and I finally turn into a rat after I SNEEZE?! ” yelled rat MK.

Unbidden, a “haHAA! ” shot out of his mouth faster than he could stifle it, and Wukong quickly turned away and shoved his fist against his face.

“Aa-ha-hm!” he coughed, “Think I, euh, got some se-hee water in my throat!” was all he could muster beyond his horribly disguised giggles, daring not to even glance at his successor until he was changed back. Monkey King could feel two beady eyes trying to bore holes into his back as he did his best to not laugh.

It wasn’t funny! Absolutely not! His tail swishing behind him as his shoulders quaked meant nothing.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw MK shift back to his monkey self, picking up his belongings as he stood up. “ Nooooo, go on, Monkey King, laugh at me.” MK groused as he swung his duffel  back over his shoulder. Wukong’s body only shook harder. “It's toooootally fine to laugh at your successor’s misery.”

“Who said-” he cleared his throat of the last remnants of his giggle fit, while setting his boots next to him to dry out in the sun. He turned to MK finally, giving his most sincere yet lying-through-his-teeth grin to his dear student. “Who said I was laughing? Told ya kid, just swallowed sea water the wrong way.” he finished nonchalantly as he rubbed a hand under his nose.

MK responded with an “Uh-huh.” that not only didn’t sound like he was convinced, it was three times removed from sounding even remotely convinced. It almost, almost made Wukong crack up again.

To the kid’s credit, it was hard for him to stay peevish over minor things. If he didn’t know any better- which Wukong did- he would think that MK was leaning into the ribbing with his dry comment and the barest hint of a smile on his face. That uneasiness from earlier today had almost entirely faded seeing his student still in relatively high spirits.

The moment dissipated as Monkey King stood and padded up the walkway with MK falling in line, the kid’s shoes making a rhythmic plop-plop-plop as they ascended. “Since you’re my guest, and you’re sick, you get dibs on the shower, bud. I’m gonna go take a bath in the river.” The joy shining in his student’s eyes as he fist pumped was endearing.

“Yesss! Fresh, hot, not fishy wat- wait.” he stopped, one foot still in the air. “You’re taking a bath in the river? ” he balked, eyes wide.

“Uh, yeah?” Monkey King replied, like the kid had asked him if the sky was blue. “It’s clean water.”

MK’s tiny V-shaped nose scrunched up. “Uhh, not to judge you Monkey King-”

“Which you totally are,” Wukong interrupted.

“Isn’t river water still kinda dirtyyyyy?” He finished meekly, tapping his fingers together as his tail curled.

At that, Wukong got a little defensive. “Ok, a river doesn’t have nearly the same health benefits as treated water in a house, I’ll give you that, but it’s still fine to bathe in- we’re at Flower Fruit Mountain! We used river water when we were on our journey for the Samhadi Fire too, remember?” he added pedantically as he spread his arms wide.

“I mean, yeah, we did, but like,” MK stuttered, making his worn-down voice crack even more. “We still filtered it.”

Wukong’s face melted into a flat stare at that. “Kid, you chugged muddy desert water at a swindling fish demon’s outpost.”

“But we were so thirstyyy!” he moaned, tugging at the still damp fringe that hung limply at the sides of his face. “We hadn’t had water for hours! That’s completely different!”

“Ah ah, no, that proves my point.” Wukong replied smugly as he waggled a finger, turning away from MK and continuing up the steps. “We’ve been over this lesson- use the environment around you to your advantage, kiddo! That includes using fresh river water for baths.” he called over his shoulder.

“Does that also include getting sick from gross, untreated, mountain water?” MK jabbed right back.

At that provocation, Wukong continued to argue with MK over what could be considered clean enough water the rest of the short way up.

___________________

Unfortunately for MK, Monkey King was very good at arguing- he had over a thousand years of practice compared to MK’s 8 or so. It was unfair from the start. Also, y’know, loads of knowledge on just about everything. Despite that, MK still stood firm on his view of what did and didn’t make for usable bath water, even as he lost the battle.

“-and that is why non-potable doesn’t mean unusable. Anyways!” Monkey King clapped his hands together, swiftly changing the subject now that they were in his home. “You know where the bathroom is. There’s a bunch of towels for you to use in the hall closet, and a hair dryer under the sink. Try not to slip and fall while I’m out, m’kay? You don’t need a concussion on top of being ill.” his teacher added helpfully, lightly tapping his fist on the side of MK’s head.

MK let out a ‘pssh’ and playfully shoved Monkey King’s hand away. “C’mooon. I’ve had at least,” he paused to count on his fingers real quick, “10 different Big Bads smack me around, and a bunch of life or death battles that I’ve managed to walk away from in one piece. This stone-cold noggin ain’t going anywhere!” he stated proudly, also knocking his knuckles against his head.

Monkey King smiled and gave his shoulder a quick pat as he passed him to go to his room. “Let’s not push our luck anyways, bud.” he stated, sounding almost fond. MK smiled back and set to taking off his drenched footwear. “Now go shower, you’re making my house smell like a seafood market.” he said with a dismissive wave.

MK let out a reedy, affronted gasp. “Hey!” he shouted hoarsely at the back of his mentor, almost tripping out of his drowned sneakers. His only answer was a distant laugh muffled by a shutting door. Rude.

He puffed his drying- fur? He’s pretty sure it could be counted as fur now- out of his field of view so he could see long enough to grab a non-saltwater soaked outfit and his toiletries out of the duffel. He thanked his past self for his forward thinking in getting a waterproof bag for these kinds of situations.

New outfit chosen, and socks and shoes deposited outside, MK walked back down the hallway to Monkey King’s bathroom.

He knew where it was, but he’d never actually been inside. It felt strangely personal to go in when his teacher wasn’t around, despite having free run of the place when Monkey King had left last year. MK carefully creaked open the door to a darkened room, unsure of what he would see there aside from the obvious. It only took a few seconds of smoothing his hand against the nearest wall to find the light switch and flick it on. What he saw was…

Pretty basic, honestly. The floor was tiled in a color that was complimentary to the rest of the house, a couple bath mats were laid out in high traffic areas for water, the toilet, sink, and mirrored medicine cabinet were off to one side, and the shower sat on the opposite wall. MK gingerly stepped the rest of the way in and shut the door behind him. Unsurprisingly, the vague aroma of peaches hung in the air.

“Huh.” was all he could think to say at the very normal presentation. He didn’t expect anything grand- well, maybe a little lavish, like the palace he had read about in the orignal Journey to the West- but even so, seeing an average bathroom in the Monkey King’s home felt strange.

MK set his clothes and toiletries on the edge of the sink and took a moment to finally get a good look at his current state in the mirror. The monkey he saw there had a mane that was damp and sad-looking, with an equally sad red headband that had slipped down and was touching the edge of his peach-shaped marking. MK ran a hand through his hair- the monkey did too. He wrinkled his reddened nose- the monkey wrinkled his. MK pulled the goofiest expression he could think of, and the monkey in the mirror matched him perfectly.

He relaxed his face and continued staring blankly at his reflection. Each day it got a little easier to believe he was a celestial monkey, had secretly been one his entire life- yet more often than not it felt like one giant hallucination. Like the dreams he had when he was little.

It was hard not to think about who or what made him after… that, but MK knew it wouldn’t help him any to chew on big questions he didn’t have answers to. It definitely wouldn’t help get that piece of seaweed he now saw clinging to his bedraggled fluff.

Snapping back to reality, MK opened up his small travel bag and set to putting his stuff in the medicine cabinet. Inside, there were even more completely boring items one would expect to be there. As he arranged what little he brought to fit in amongst his teacher’s things, MK mused on how this felt like a sleepover.

… Wait.

His eyes widened and he shut the cabinet door, his reflection equally as shocked.

That’s what this was. He was having a sleepover- a slumber party, even, with the Monkey King, at Monkey King’s house. His definitely flawed but still super-cool teacher and friend. 

MK turned on the water and waited for it to get to the perfect temperature.

‘We’re having a sleepover,’ he thought. Possibly a week long sleepover. However long it took until he was feeling better.

He tossed his still damp clothes to the side and stepped into the cozy embrace of a hot shower.

‘We’re having a sleepover,’ he thought. They were gonna watch sooo many movies- they had to, at least one every evening.

MK washed his fur free of salt and that single piece of seaweed.

‘We’re having a sleepover,’ he thought. They needed to stock up on ALL of the sleepover snack essentials.

As he cleaned up, that train of thought ran over and over through his head, and MK daydreamed about what they could possibly do for a potentially week-long sleepover.

Five towels and an hour spent running the hair dryer later, MK was clean, fluffy, free of fish stank, and in his second favorite outfit. He bundled up his dirty clothes and put them in what he was 87% sure was the laundry hamper as he wandered back out to the main room. Monkey King wasn’t back yet, as far as he could tell, but a handful of his monkeys were sitting on the couch and taking in reruns of Chang’e’s cooking show. MK found an unoccupied spot and flopped down on the cushions, with only some annoyed chirping coming from the fuzzy couch potatoes. A slight quickly forgotten as two of them snuggled in on his still-warm body.

The hot shower had helped immensely with improving his mood and opening up his stuffy nose, but the body aches from forcefully changing had only been mitigated some. A bummer for sure, but nothing a little rest, medicine, and not coughing or sneezing under any circumstances couldn’t fix.

The ‘rest’ part of that could wait for a little bit until he knew where his teacher was.

“Do any of you guys know where Monkey King is?” MK asked the TV-tranced primates. One spared enough brain power to point at the general direction of the front door, giving out a small ‘Ah’.

MK craned his neck over the back of the couch to see no Monkey King behind them. “Mmmmmgonna take that as he’s still out.” he said to no monkey in particular. With all of his energy exhausted in trying to find his teacher for two seconds, and now fully ensnared by the gravitational combo of couch-plus-TV, MK settled in to watch Chang’e talk about Bingfen.

[steelcladbutterfly]

Introductions and Masterlist

So, I suppose I should get this out of the way.

I work mainly on Quotev under the username JaguarEarth, which is where the majority of my works are currently. I mostly write yandere for myths and monsters, with a focus on the less popular. If you enjoy that sort of stuff, I suppose feel free to look through the list below or check out my full works over on Quotev.

Main tags are yandere and yandere x reader. Otherwise yandere mythology encompasses many of these. Character sheets specifically are under the tag character sheet.

Yandere Masterlist:

Headless Horseman:

Your small town has a sudden and ferocious problem. A murderer has been going around, seeming to slaughter at random, with the only clue being the next victim seeming to hear and see something no one else can. When it turns its sights on you though, something seems to be amiss.

Mummy:

Living a life of thievery and plotting was not what you originally wanted in life. But the greed of others meant your talents had use to them. But when their greed grew too much, it was you caught in the crossfires of a bloody mystery wrapped in a veneer of sand and gold.

Fairy:

Xenon:

Living with your father on the edge of the woods, life was simple and easy. The forest held many secrets and you were always told never to venture to deeply lest you find something dangerous. But you never fully heeded these warnings and soon, you found yourself catching the eye of a monster intimately connected to your own life. He left it once and now he refuses to do so again.

Halloween request:

A journey into a forest reveals much more than a simple legend resides within the woods. But what can be done when the whole forest is fighting against the intrusion?

Ghost:

A trip to an abandoned house in the middle of the woods promised little but wasted time and shot nerves when your friends originally dragged you out. But a truly haunted house was enough to pull you in forever, whether you like it or not.

Apollo:

Your semester seemed like it would be the same as any other until someone new showed up several weeks late in the middle of class. What to do when he proceeds to follow you around and pester you at every moment? That’s simple, put him in his place. However, after he settled down and you started to get along, dark desires soon began to overrule everything else. And what is there to do but run?

Ao Guang:

A sudden sickness prompts a concerned lover to seek out care for their currently fallen spouse. Aid is found in the form of a powerful dragon lord, but there is more in store for the pair then simple help.

Poseidon: Pulling pranks, teasing your best friend, and helping keep the small inn at your home village of Whesprey was how you thought your life would stay. Until one day an injured man appeared at the shore, thrusting you into a series of events that would end up destroying everything you hold near and dear to your heart.

Sun Wukong:

Your travels are much more fun with a cheerful companion. Especially in comparison to the coldness still lingering from your family. But what are you to do when the cheerful, sunny being you cherish turns on you just as coldly as you felt living under your family’s gaze? What do you do when it follows you?

Archdemon (1):

A trip with your friends to experience Las Vegas is nothing like what you wanted, but you go along with it anyways. But after one of your friends had a one night stand, with no one but you to pick them up, you never would have imagined he would have an interest in you from that single event. A single rebuff of his advances leads him spiraling down a path to obsession, and nothing would get in his way of having you for himself.

Cecaelia:

Two lives abandoned to the sea. One learned on his own, the other taken in to avoid the hardships. But when others disturb the tranquility, the first shall do all in his power to restore it and more.

Aphrodite:

What does one do when faced with someone who has always gotten everything they ever wanted? You’d hope and pray they would never want something of yours. However, your luck has run out.

Miscellaneous Masterlist:

Poseidon Character Sheet

Archdemon (1) Character Sheet

Fairy Character Sheet

Archdemon (2) Character Sheet:

Basically what it says on the tin. It’s a character sheet for a new story I’m working on.

[imagobin]

🌊 Dragon King x Human!Reader OS 🌊

I bring... food for all the monster lovers like me! This is just a little reader insert one shot cause I had this idea and needed to get it out of my brain. This takes place some months after the movie's events. Reader is Gender Neutral and works as a fisher and diver.

Genre: Fluff ☁️ Word count: 5.2k

Seashells

The first time Ao Guang had laid eyes upon them was when they dove into the sea to gather sea urchins and mussels from the underwater rocks. He’d seen many humans do that before, but none were quite as graceful as they were, their movements were akin to the ones of a sea creature, and they could hold their breath for so long, that the dragon nearly thought they had gills for a moment… until he saw them resurface with their catch of the day held inside a net, slicking their hair back and taking in big breaths of air.

That had somewhat displeased the King, who wasn’t a fan of ‘air breathers’ as he called them. But still, every action of theirs couldn’t help but strangely tug at his heartstrings, in a way nothing had ever done before, not even his own reflection. That troubled him, how could he… a near immortal being, be feeling that way for a mere human? Had the centuries spent in solitude, trying to regain his power softened his hatred for anything capable of surviving on land? No… that certainly wasn’t it- then what? Maybe… loneliness?

He tried to ignore those budding feelings, but he simply couldn’t, not when that person kept coming there to gather seafood, which he didn’t mind, since those little shelled mollusks were too small for him to eat anyways. They’d dive into the water, and then spend some time on the shore cleaning their catch, humming a song with that beautiful voice of theirs, beautiful enough to render Ao Guang innocuous as long as he could hear it.

He’d come to enjoy that daily occurrence, to the point of feeling like his day wasn’t complete if for any reason they didn’t show up. For that reason, he’d been tempted to stealthily follow them back on land, discover where they lived… so he could go and check on them whenever they missed a day, just to make sure it wasn’t because they were sick. But alas, his sensitive skin could never allow him to do that, especially not since he’d lost everything, including his servants, to that dreadful Sun Wukong, the Monkey King… 

He had nobody who could help him, who’d carry him in a bathtub so he could see what laid beyond the water. It had been so long since he’d seen the surface.

For that same reason, he’d never dared to even show himself to the diver, fearing his skin would get damaged by the light and air, and that the horrible sight would’ve scared off the human.

However, one day his hand would be forced.

The diver came back like usual, and the Dragon King observed them from his usual spot, hidden behind rocks… but that day, the human didn’t seem to move as gracefully as usual… he could tell something was wrong… maybe they were fatigued, or maybe they’d suddenly fallen ill. Still, they persevered in their duty, working with their small knife to detach the shells from the rocks and cutting some seaweed… he could tell they looked weak doing so however… really weak. What was going on? 

And then it happened, their legs stopped moving and they clung to the rock, trying to swim upwards, but lacking in energy and limbs to do so, since their legs weren’t responding and one of their arms was busy holding the net. 

Ao Guang panicked. They were going to drown… he couldn’t have that, absolutely not. They’d become the only light in his otherwise dull and repetitive days, he wasn’t going to let them die like that. He saw a few bubbles coming out of their mouth, and that finally prompted him to act. 

In just a second he’d caught up to them, being extremely nimble in his element, he took them and their net, swimming back to shore as fast as he could, and by the way their body had gone limp, he could tell they were barely conscious, which was… disappointing; he wanted them to know HE’d been the one to save them, but that wasn’t the time to think about that.

He resurfaced, placing them on the hot sand. He could already feel his sensitive skin drying as it felt the air and sunrays, but he didn’t care about that now. He had to check on them, knowing that humans could get damaged if they were to breathe in water. Luckily, as he checked on them, the human began to cough on their own, gasping for air and spitting out water, their limbs shaking.

They were alive! But as soon as they’d coughed out all the water, they briefly looked at him and then… they passed out again on the sand.

The Dragon King took that opportunity to dive back into the water, hydrating his skin and going back to watching them from a distance; they seemed to be simply asleep, and he took a sigh of relief. Still… that was his chance, he could’ve done something to make his presence known, to perhaps finally let the diver understand that someone was keeping an eye on them. 

He dove into the depths, searching for something that would’ve definitely let them know someone powerful had helped them, and then he found it, the most beautiful seashell he could find: a Venus comb, with blue and peach streaks, definitely something unusual, which was perfect.

After making sure the diver was still sleeping, he resurfaced and placed the seashell atop their net; he gave one last look at them, and then disappeared again into the water.

---

(y/n) woke up an hour later with a throbbing headache and sand all over their body. Their memory was foggy, all they could remember was suddenly feeling weak as soon as they’d entered the water, struggling to move and then… something scaly and smooth picking them up and dragging them to the shore.

“What the hell was that?” they muttered to themselves, brushing off some sand and looking to the side, noticing their net was safe and sound, half in the water so the creatures they’d caught wouldn’t dry in the sun, and on top of all that… a wonderful Venus comb.

Their eyes widened at the sight of that… Who could’ve left that thing there?

They shakily got back up, taking the shell into their hands, feeling it.

Suddenly, a memory flashed before (y/n), and they saw a blue dragon looking at them. Did it… save them?

That thought stuck with them all the way back home. How could THEY, a mere diver, have caught the attention of such a being?

“I’m home!” (y/n) announced, immediately being hugged by their older sister, (s/n), who was worried sick for her sibling.

“You’re late! I-I thought something had happened- I was about to come look for you I-”

(y/n) chuckled “Relax, sister… the sea is always on my side…” they replied with a small chuckle “I think… literally, today” they added, pulling back from the hug and placing the net on a straw mat before looking back at that seashell.

(s/n) widened her eyes at the sight “I’ve never seen such a large Venus comb…”

“I know! I… I had no idea they could get so big…” (y/n) replied, smiling “I think this was a gift from my savior…”

“Your… savior? So something DID happen!” their sister replied, sounding concerned again “I knew you shouldn’t have gone diving today… you’ve been working so hard- and you still insist on doing that almost every day too”

(y/n) looked to the side, really not wanting to tell their sister they’d nearly drowned, they shook their head “That doesn’t matter- I can’t just… Stop doing that, it’s my job…” the diver replied, looking back to their sister, then back at the seashell “I think… it was a dragon…”

(s/n) sighed deeply, knowing her sibling would never listen to her concerns, but soon her interest was caught again when (y/n) mentioned what they thought had saved them “A… dragon you say? But… there’s no other water dragons aside from… Ao Guang- but he tried to destroy us hundreds of years ago, why would he save a human now?”

(y/n) flinched, they knew the legend of Ao Guang very well: he tried to drown the world, envious of the people who could walk on land, but his plans were foiled by Sun Wukong, who defeated him before being trapped in a mountain for being too irresponsible with the powers bestowed to him.

“Well… I don’t know if it could truly be him- but… isn’t it good if it was? That means maybe he doesn’t wish to kill humankind anymore!” (y/n) suggested, wanting to stay positive “He even gifted this to me… so perhaps he’s truly changed…”

(s/n) nodded slowly, she did agree with her sibling, but it seemed a bit too risky to just let that happen without doing anything about it “Ao Guang is still a dangerous being, to leave his kindness unpaid could be dangerous… we should prepare an offering for him”

(y/n) couldn’t agree more, it was still best to be cautious with beings of such power, but what to bring him then? “I don’t think he’d enjoy fruits… and he definitely has enough fish in his territory that he can feed off of… we don’t own any cattle-” they began listing, unable to come up with anything that could even remotely pay back the Dragon King’s favor.

Their sister was thinking intensely about it as well, until she had an idea “You could bake something for him!”

“B-bake?” the diver asked. 

(s/n) smiled “Of course! You’re nearly as talented with baking as you are with fishing, if any pastry can satisfy a divine being that would be yours!” she cheerfully said. “You could make him some Tang Yuan, or some Dou Sha Bao! I’m sure he’d love them”

(y/n) looked a bit to the side, embarrassed by their sister’s kind compliments “But… those are all such simple things, would a dragon really be satisfied with them?”

“Well… it’s still better than nothing, or than something he’s seen time and time again-”

“Right- right… well, I’d better get baking then” the diver replied, chuckling a bit; they had to get everything ready.

---

The following day, (y/n) got back to the beach, but not to fish this time, rather, to carry a large offering of red bean paste buns to the Dragon King. They felt a bit nervous, wondering if he’d even accept that as thanks, but they hoped for the best.

They knelt down on the sand, placing a bamboo boat, containing a decent amount of Bao buns, on it.

(y/n) took a deep breath, and then spoke up.

“Great Ao Guang… I humbly offer you this food, as thanks for saving my life… I know this will never be enough to repay your gesture, but please accept it”

The Dragon King was shocked to see the human come back like that, carrying food offerings. He’d been waiting for them, and had swam closer as soon as he heard them call his name. That was a great surprise, and it nearly made him feel prideful that humans still knew of him, even after being gone from their sight for so long.

He looked at the diver, then back at the offering. Whatever those things were, they looked delicious, he just had to wait for them to leave, so he could try some.

But it was really difficult to hold back, not just because he’d been craving something other than fish… but because he wanted to finally show himself to the human being.

After some moments of hesitation, he finally decided to bite the bullet and emerge, only by a smidge, so that only his horns and part of his snout were visible, because one: he wanted to look mysterious, and two: he was afraid his skin would dry out if he stayed out there for too long.

Still, that was enough to make (y/n) gasp in shock, and kneel down in respect “Great Ao Guang… so it truly was you who saved me yesterday…” they muttered, unsure if they were even allowed to speak.

In the meantime, Ao Guang was having the time of his life, being revered by the human he’d been interested in for so long was feeding his starving ego, and he had to hold back from saying anything, not wanting to ruin a moment that most definitely felt mythical to the human.

“If- if I may be so… bold to ask… why me? There’s… so many people who die at sea, some leagues more important than me, but you chose to save me… why?” (y/n) asked, wanting answers above everything.

The Dragon King wasn’t expecting a question so soon, especially not something that would’ve laid his motives bare like that, but alas… he had to answer, if anything because he wanted to get closer to them.

“You… come to these shores seeking food for your family most days, and then you sit on the sand and sing, cleaning mussels and other shelled creatures. That singing… it pleases me, that is why I saved you” he replied, keeping his tone serious and cool, although inside he was blushing madly from embarrassment, he couldn’t believe he’d just openly admitted he enjoyed the human’s singing.

(y/n) was surprised that he’d saved them for something so… silly, frankly, but then they remembered, the dragon was selfish, and driven by desire, so him caring for (y/n) simply because of their singing made sense. “So… you saved me because I’m… entertaining?”

“Life is boring, when you’re thousands of years old and have nobody to talk to-” he bluntly replied, before realizing how honest and non-mysterious his words sounded, which prompted him to cover his mouth with his hands, in a rather comical way.

The diver widened their eyes, holding back a small giggle, trying to remind themselves they were in front of a powerful dragon and not just some… lonely fish. “Well… if my singing brightens your days so… I’ll keep coming here, Great Ao Guang” they smiled.

The Dragon King felt his heart flutter at those words, but he tried regaining a calm attitude, wanting the human to take him very seriously. “Very well… you’re free to leave now- so that I can… enjoy my offers in peace” he said, accidentally sounding more eager than perhaps necessary. He just hadn’t had anything but fish for the past centuries since his defeat, he was DYING for some novelty.

(y/n) flinched “Oh! Yes, of course… I hope my baking makes you as happy as my singing-” they muttered, turning around to leave the beach. As soon as they’d taken some steps away, they heard the sound of water splashing around, followed by silly, happy giggles.

As it turned out, the King had not, in fact, been able to hold back for long enough, and had started eating his offerings without waiting for (y/n) to leave completely.

That prompted the diver to look back, finding the ‘Great Ao Guang’ floating atop the water like a sea otter, while keeping the boat full of buns on his chest and savoring them with the happiest smile on his face.

At that sight, (y/n) chuckled, they couldn’t help it, he was just too cute not to.

However, the moment the Dragon King noticed them looking, he grew embarrassed. “Uh… you were not supposed to turn around…” he quietly muttered, his cheeks going purple, ashamed of himself for not being able to wait longer, now fearing that the human would’ve thought of him as ridiculous.

But (y/n) wasn’t thinking that at all “S-sorry, sorry… I just… well- I was worried my offering wouldn’t be enough, so- seeing you enjoy it so much is making me really happy… Great Ao Guang…” they replied, smiling.

The King was surprised… the human thought those delicacies wouldn’t be enough? Well, actually they were right… or at least they would’ve been, a couple hundred years ago, when he was still respected as the King of the eastern sea, a simple offer of sweets would’ve been laughable, but now? After he’d lost everything because of that cursed Monkey King? Not at all- that, in fact, was the best thing anyone had done for him in a while, and he didn’t even need to instill absolute fear in their soul to get them to do that?!

“You underestimate yourself… human” he spoke, recomposing himself, as if he hadn’t just been caught lounging in such an unflattering manner. “These are undoubtedly… worthy offerings for a king such as I~” he smirked.

(y/n)’s eyes lit up with joy “T-they are? Oh- oh w-wow… That means the world to me! I’m so flattered!” they replied, a big grin on their face as they tried to stop the blushing on their cheeks; it wasn’t everyday that they’d get complimented by a dragon after all. Then… an idea suddenly came to them; they could take advantage of this… to help their village “I-I could bring more… if you wish”

“You could?!” Ao Guang blurted out, immediately clearing his throat as he noticed how desperate that had come out. “I mean… that would be… uh…” he stammered, struggling to find the right words to convey that he would’ve loved that, without losing his dignity, but nothing came to mind, so he just floated there, awkwardly.

(y/n) couldn’t help but chuckle again “Yeah, I could! There’s just… a small problem-” they began, their tone getting a bit meeker.

“And what would the problem be?” the King asked. Whatever it was, he was certainly capable of doing something about it- honestly, he would’ve done anything to get more attention from the human he’d been looking at for so long.

“Well… droughts have been more frequent as of late… and we don’t have many resources to begin with, our rice fields are especially struggling” the diver explained. “But… I know from the legends that you, Great Ao Guang, used to be able to control the weather- if you gave us rain to water our crops… I’d have enough to make these and many other dishes for you-” 

The Dragon King listened. The human was asking him to do the thing that he’d always dreaded to do… control the weather to make humans happy. But… this time he could also gain from it; he’d gain the human’s trust, he’d FINALLY get to eat something that wasn’t fish, and maybe… something more.

“Ah, so I see you’ve heard of my legends… I am indeed capable of controlling the weather, and if you keep bringing me gifts and singing for me, I’ll bring you and your village rain whenever you’re in need, sounds good, little human?” he asked with a little smirk.

(y/n) couldn’t believe it… their plan had worked flawlessly! Maybe… a bit too much, was there a trick? Would the dragon expect something more every time? Had they just doomed themselves? It didn’t feel like that… but all they could do for now was bow “I thank you from the depths of my soul, Great Ao Guang”

The King’s smirk turned into a sheepish smile as he felt butterflies in his stomach, the feeling of that human revering him felt… beyond good; it took him on a full power trip, he felt like his old glory days would soon be coming back! And sure, he’d lost all his subjects, but this human’s attentions would definitely make up for it.

“What is your name… human?” he asked in a deeper, more confident tone.

“(y-y/n)…” the diver replied, and the dragon looked pleased.

“Very well, (y/n), expect some nice rain tomorrow~”

---

And rain it did. The following day, and then from then onwards at least once or twice a week. It was gentle rain, never windy, so that (y/n) could still come to the shore and look for mollusks, and clean them on the beach, singing. During the sunny days, Ao Guang would watch them from afar, but whenever it rained, he’d be able to come out of the water and enjoy (y/n)’s singing from closer, without having to worry about his skin getting dry.

Meanwhile, in the village, the crops flourished and produced more than they ever did, which meant the diver now also had enough variety of provisions to cook so many different meals for the King, the offerings never felt repetitive, and he always ate everything with great happiness, he was really living the life! And only at the price of some rain at that.

Still… the King had yet to find the courage to ask his human for more; the singing and offerings greatly appeased him, and their occasional chats were simply delightful, but something was still missing: touch. He craved it so deeply now… he wanted to hold (y/n), nuzzle up to them, he wanted to feel their hands on his skin, but there was no way he’d just crawl to them asking for affection, that was way too desperate, and as much as he would’ve loved to just use his position of power to order them to cuddle up, that didn’t feel right either.

He’d waited for the perfect chance: a rainy day, where he could stay out of the water without worrying about his skin. He’d looked at (y/n) as they gathered different kinds of shelled mollusks, something they’d certainly sell at the market, a little quaint human invention made to trade products between people, as the diver themselves had explained to him.

Then, once they were done, he followed them to the shore, sitting on the sand, using his long, scaly tail as a sort of pillow to recline against. His heart was pounding more than usual.

(y/n) sat down as well, beside Ao Guang, and began their usual routine of singing while cleaning up their catch on the beach, so that it’d look perfect and spotless when they sold it. But as of late… their routine position had gradually changed: at first they’d sit several feet away from the dragon, feeling like they’d be disrespecting him if they sat too close, but little by little, they’d began closing the gap, sitting closer and closer every day, until they were sitting within the King’s grasp.

Ao Guang smirked, noticing they’d sat close to him that day too; that was exactly what he was waiting for… he gently reached out with his hand and began to stroke their hair. “Hm… you’ve been sitting quite close by as of late, (y/n)...” he pointed out.

The diver blushed madly, not expecting to feel the King’s hand run through their hair so smoothly “I-I’m so sorry!” they quickly replied, lowering their head. 

He chuckled softly “No need for apologies… I never said I minded it… if anything, I can listen to your singing even better from here…” the Dragon King whispered, his breath feeling surprisingly warm on (y/n)’s neck.

(y/n) flinched, their blushing situation not getting any better when they could feel him so close “I-I… well- I’m glad you enjoy it so much…” they muttered, feeling too flustered to think of anything else.

The dragon smiled “Still, I can’t help but wonder… if you’ve been getting closer on purpose…” he continued, wanting to test the waters.

The diver looked at him in total disbelief, they could tell he was trying to tell them something. In truth, there WAS a reason why they’d found themselves drawn closer and closer to Ao Guang… after all those months of meeting every day, offering things to him, watching him eat with such a happy and giddy expression- their feelings towards the dragon had begun to morph into something they didn’t dare to speak of with anyone. (y/n) cared about him, deeply so, and they struggled to accept that; he wasn’t even human, for crying out loud! Why did he make them feel like that?!

They blushed, unable to come up with an excuse “I simply… enjoy sitting here… next to you…” (y/n) muttered, slowly leaning into the King’s touch.

That motion sent a shiver up Ao Guang’s spine, and he really had to hold himself back from pulling (y/n) into a hug right as he felt their head rub against his palm. 

“What a coincidence then… that I like this too…” he replied, trying to act cool.

(y/n) felt their whole body get warmer at those words, and slowly found the confidence to do something they’d never done before: they stopped cleaning their catch and turned to face the Dragon King, looking straight into his deep, red eyes. And then, (y/n) slowly placed their hand on his, running their fingers on his scales.

Ao Guang felt his cheeks warm up; (y/n)’s touch was so amazingly soft, up until that point, he never realized just HOW affection-starved he was, to the point where feeling that slight touch after centuries of solitude had his heart melt instantly, and he gently began to pull them closer and closer, until (y/n) found themselves leaning against Ao Guang’s body, which felt surprisingly squishy, though they should have figured, given how he was a water dragon.

“A-Ao Guang…?” the diver muttered, a slight gasp escaping their lips as the dragon wrapped his arms around them, the long sleeves of his robes covering (y/n)’s back like a little blanket.

He smiled down at them, “What’s wrong…? Is a King’s embrace so shocking you can’t even get your words out~?” he asked, the smile slowly turning into a little grin.

That smugness however, had sort of the opposite effect on (y/n), instead of further flustering them, they couldn’t help but chuckle “W-well… perhaps” (y/n) replied and gently booped his nose, which was just within reach now.

The Dragon King let out a small yelp, not expecting to get poked like that, but, not wanting to lose the ‘upper hand’, he poked right back, which only got (y/n) to giggle more.

“C-cease your chuckling!” he pouted, feeling like things weren’t really going his way.

“What? Don’t tell me you expected me to never tease back-” (y/n) giggled, looking back up at Ao Guang and finding him blushing purple; it seemed like they’d nearly forgotten the dragon before them was a King, and soon they  relaxed a bit, wrapping their arms around the dragon’s body, nuzzling up to his neck, which was covered in soft, teal fur.

For the second time in his secular life, the Dragon King felt himself tensing up and shivering, but this time, for a completely different reason. That closeness was simply driving him crazy- so much so that he ignored (y/n)’s little remark and let them cuddle up to him.

After a couple of minutes in comfortable silence, (y/n) spoke up again, still not completely certain that what was happening really meant what they thought it did “A-Ao Guang?” they whispered “Have you… wanted this for long?”

The Dragon King somewhat tensed up at that question, not wanting to admit just HOW long he’d been interested in (y/n), still, he couldn’t just stay silent- so he decided to repurpose their question “Hm… I don’t knowww, some time… but what about you?”

“I-” (y/n) blushed slightly, partially hiding their face into the King’s neck fluff “I-I admit… it was a few months into our agreement-”

The King couldn’t help but chuckle, trying to play it off outwardly, while inwardly he… honestly felt relieved his feelings seemed to be reciprocated.

“Ah, but of course, nobody can resist my kingly charms~”

(y/n)’s blush deepened at that silly statement “I-I really couldn’t-” they muttered, running a hand on his chest.

Ao Guang felt another shiver go up his spine and he smiled bashfully, really unable to stop enjoying (y/n)’s touch so much, and he tightened his grip on them, pulling them up; he was feeling more and more confident about this.

(y/n) felt so happy as well, it was absolutely crazy, not only that the Dragon King reciprocated their feelings, but that he did so with absolutely no hesitation. They rubbed their face against his neck and eventually found the courage to place a small, soft kiss on it.

The feeling of (y/n)’s lips against his neck got the king to let out a small squeak and flinch, the warmth from that kiss spreading all across his body as he felt compelled to kiss back- and he did, starting from the human’s neck, and slowly making his way to their beautiful face, closing his eyes while (y/n) clinged to him, pressing their body against him more, kissing back and caressing his fur.

The two slowly began to lose themselves in their feelings, and things could’ve gone on for longer, but suddenly, Ao Guang noticed his snout was starting to itch, and when he opened his eyes he noticed it had stopped raining! 

With a slight gasp, he reluctantly broke the hug and got back up, causing (y/n) to slide off him, looking more confused than ever as the Dragon King hurried back into the water.

Did (y/n) do something wrong? Were things getting too heated? No… that wasn’t it-

It was then that they noticed the King’s skin was looking awfully dry, and they walked into the gentle waves, looking concerned as the dragon frantically splashed water on himself.

“Ao Guang… are you… okay?” (y/n) asked softly, stepping into the water to check on him.

“YES! Yes… everything’s… gorgeous-” he muttered, still looking unnerved.

The diver gently took his scaly hands, looking serious “I saw… your skin… is-is that why you never come out of the water when it’s sunny?” they asked.

The Dragon King looked to the side, feeling beyond embarrassed that now (y/n) knew about his darkest secret. “I know- I know it looks freaky…” he said, averting his eyes.

But (y/n) shook their head “It’s- it’s not freaky! I mean you- you didn’t choose to be born with such sensitive skin it’s… it’s okay! I still love you-”

The sea dragon could hardly believe that they were actually fine with it… for centuries people had made fun of him for his frail skin, and now finally… someone actually wasn’t judging him for it! But then the human uttered something else that caught his attention way more “Wait you- you… love me?”

(y/n) felt their cheeks heating up, they didn’t mean to say that… not yet at least, but seeing Ao Guang look so distressed had just made it impossible for them to hold back! “I-... Y-yes, I do…”

The King looked at them in surprise, his cheeks quickly going purple “D-do you… actually mean it? I mean of COURSE you love me! … y-you do, right?” he said, going back and forth between disbelief and trying to act cocky like he normally did.

“Yes, I really d-do…” (y/n) reassured him, going to hug him again.

Ao Guang chuckled bashfully, picking his precious human up and cuddling them “Well since that’s the case… I do believe I reciprocate those feelings… quite strongly” he said, looking a bit to the side. He couldn’t believe things had gone so smoothly… but he had to expect it, nobody could resist his charm!

Or at least, that’s what he wanted to think… but in truth, he felt extremely grateful for (y/n)… without them, his life would certainly be much duller. Sure, he was no undisputed ruler… but he was finally loved, and for now, that was enough.

The End

[little-mouse-gardens]

👻 ghost: can you tease some wip ideas that have been haunting you/something you want to write in the future?

🍎 apple: let’s talk about friendship in your wip. do you have any favorite friend/platonic dynamics? any friendships gone sour?

@writingonesdreams

tysm for the ask @writingonesdreams-main

👻-I have been wanting to and working on a few wip ideas behind the scenes.

specifically, a demon slayer fic and an original fic of mine based on a few of my fictober one-shots, however both of these are still in the planning phase.

🍎-I'm going to pick my wip, the great beasts for this one.

my favorite friendship/platonic friendship is between my character qiaolian and the dragon king of the east sea, Ao Guang.

they share a genuine friendship where either will always be there to help the other out.

an example of this is when she made him a gift in honor of his fallen son Ao Bing and in exchange, he gave her a powerful tonic that would remove a demon's poison from her mother

for a friendship that ends or goes sour, that would be between chuntao's sister rong and her husband wukong.

I don't wanna spoil too much, but let's just say a few events happened and Rong ends up harboring bitter resentment, bordering on hatred, towards sun wukong

she doesn't bother associating with him, to the point that in the sequel we learn from Chuntao, that she or wukong hasn't spoken to Rong and macaque for a couple hundred years.

[shitpostsfromtheinvisiblelibrary]

Day two: anniversairy

Tags: fluff, implied sex

Rating: T

Pairing(s): Kai x Irene, implied one-sided Silver x Vale

The speech droned on and on, Irene knew that they would, everyone who was anyone would want to make one. She’d been asked if she would have a few words to say and she immediately shot down that line of thought, there was no way that she was getting up and speaking to a several dozen dragons, Fae and Librarians. That wouldn't happen except perhaps in her nightmares.

“Well, thank god that is over.” She sighed as soon as idle chatter began to fill the room again. 

“I thought that you would have started to like these things a bit more,” Vale remarked as they began to circle the room again, Irene searching through the throngs to try and find Kai again, who had made a speech and was likely somewhere nearby his father. “Plenty of practice over the last year.”

Irene shot him a glance out of the corner of her eye before accepting a glass of wine off a waiters tray. “I have been far more worried about the security of this whole thing than the speeches and partying. Kai has taken to it like…” 

“A fish in water?” 

“I was trying to think of a better metaphor, but yes. Exactly like that.” She said. She had been very worried about security when it had been suggested that they host a party for the one year anniversary of the Paris treaty. His majesty Ao Guang had volunteered a location, a quite modern mansion on a solitary island just off the coast of Japan. Kai had jumped at that suggestion and started making arrangements as soon as Sterrington voiced her approval. 

Leaving Irene to worry about the things such as assassins, poisoners and outright assaults. She had barely relaxed all evening. 

The stilettos were not helping. Sure she could probably keep pace with Kai in them, but her toes were hurting and it was a distraction.

Kai was with his father, stood a little way off as Ao Guang and the Cardinal were engaged in a discussion about some minute detail, something about the architecture of the home. Nice and bland, much to Irene’s relief. 

She dipped into a curtsey and Vale bowed. Ao Guang signalled for them to rise with an idle wave of his hand. “You have managed to put together quite the celebration, madame Winters.” He said Irene ducked her head. 

“That was mainly your son, your majesty, I have no mind for such things.” Ao Guang looked to Kai, who shrugged.

“Madame Winters did have some input toward the party planning, but she mainly focused on making sure that this event was secure, efforts that I believe to be necessary as it has given everyone chance to enjoy themselves.” He paused. “She helped pick out some of the wine.” Irene looked down at her glass. 

“I will admit that I do have good taste in that.” She said, looking to Kai. “There is nothing wrong with sweet wines.” 

“No, I didn’t say that there was. I just wouldn't pick it.” He toasted to her with his glass. “I am grateful that you changed my mind. It is rather good.” The conversation drifted off after that, Kai waited a few minutes more before slowly and quietly making his exit. They slowly circled the room until nearby a balcony where the smell of the sea swept into the room and Kai smiled, deeply inhaling it. 

“May I steal Irene?” Kai asked Vale. Vale shrugged. 

“I think I will retire for the night,” Vale said, glancing over to where Silver was quite clearly attempting to seduce two dragons, and his shoulders slumped. “I may break into Silver’s rooms, just because.” Irene touched his elbow. 

“Thank you for your company this evening.” She looked over to Silver too. “Maybe he’ll have something that interests you in there, and if he doesn’t, maybe you can have some fun messing with him.” 

“Maybe.” 

They both took the time to kick their shoes off and leave them by one of the side doors into the house before making their way across the sand. They waited until far enough away from the house before Kai reached over and laced their fingers together, pulling her closer toward the ebb and flow of rising tides. 

“I haven't been back here in years,” Kai said. “We used to come here for a few weeks every year when I was a child.” He looked back up at the house, and then to her. “Did you always live in the Library as a child?” 

“My parents had a few long term assignments,” Irene said, the foam from the sea was cold on her toes, almost a relief after high heels and hours walking around. “I think my favourite was in Prague. It’s a beautiful city. We had a tiny little flat. Nothing like this. I can’t even begin to imagine what it would have been like to grow up somewhere like this.” 

“I want to say that it was good.” He shrugged. “And it was. Just lonely sometimes.” 

“I could see why.” He walked out into the water until it was a few inches up his legs. “A midnight swim?”

“Why not? I can show you somewhere that no one else has ever seen. Where I used to go.” He held a hand out to her. “Don’t worry. I won't let you sink.” 

“Swimming, in this dress?” Well, it couldn’t be any worse than that dip in the Neva, she thought as she took his hand.

“I thought you’d say no to skinny dipping. Or accuse me of being tipsy.” 

“Both.” She said. The sea was surprisingly warm once she got used to the temperature, as the water kept climbing up her legs until it was waist-deep. “Is it a long swim?” She nervously looked back to the beach.

“Trust me, Irene.” He smiled. “I’ll keep you safe.” She took a deep breath and nodded. It wasn't that Irene was scared of deep water, but she knew well enough that her own ‘swimming’ abilities were not up to scratch for it, especially if there was a current. Kai must have sensed her nerves because he stopped and wrapped an arm around her waist. 

He rested his forehead against hers. “I can’t believe that we have made it over a year now.” He said softly and she knew that he wasn't talking about the treaty. She wondered if he had wanted to do something for their anniversary, but Irene had never been a romantic or the sentimental type and hadn't suggested anything. Kai hadn't either and she thought that maybe he had been waiting to see what she had wanted to do, what she would have been comfortable with since she was much more private than he was.

“Me neither.” She breathed. The waves seemed to be slowing around them, only around them. “I…” She didn’t have the words for how she felt, Irene and emotions was not a good combination, at least not when she tried to talk about them. It was easier to shut them away and not open her mouth. 

So, instead, she kissed him. 

Kai’s hands moved to cup her face as she clung to his spray soaked shirt, pressing themselves together. She loved it when Kai made soft sounds, almost like he was purring, before parting his lips against hers and sliding deeper into a kiss that was a rush of passion and adoration and everything between them that went unspoken and likely always would.

A wave hit Kai’s back and they went down, but Kai never let go of her, keeping his lips against hers as they were swept away by a hidden current that was only half natural. 

Blind, unable to open her eyes under the water, but luckily still able to find air thanks to Kai, Irene rid him of his suit jacket and it was quickly swept away from them. He was fumbling with the fiddly buttons down the back of her dress when they broke the surface. Irene tilted her head back to gasp for air, more on instinct than a necessity, and Kai took the opportunity to press his lips to the side of her throat, nipping at her soft skin with sharp teeth and making her gasp for another reason. 

She felt rock against her back and opened her eyes. It was dark, almost pitch black, she could see Kai, almost luminescent in the dark, watching her with lidded eyes and a smirk on his lips. He was flushed. 

“What do you think?” He asked and Irene looked around. “I don’t think anyone else ever comes down here, I don’t know if they know it exists.” It was a small cave, the seawater had created a pool in the centre of it but there was a rocky ledge maybe two metres wide and Kai helped her out onto it. 

He started looking around for something whilst she tried to get up in a sodden and unwieldy mess of silk. “Care to let me a hand?” She asked, thinking that he’d just use that nifty trick of forcing the water from the fabric, but he kept his back to her.

“Ah-ha! Here we go, they are still here.” He said, turning back to her with a small box. “Oh right, your dress, give me two minutes.” The box contained candles and he set some of them out before lighting them, the cave was small so it only took a few of them to be able to fill the place with the flickering glow. “That’s better.” 

Irene held her hand out and he helped her to her feet. “This is probably the most private place on the entire island. And it is all for us.” He smiled. “Just for you.” He kissed her again. One of his hands was on her hip and the other returned to the buttons of her dress. It became a rush of kisses and gasps and wet clothes being dropped to the floor as she discarded his tie and then shirt and he finally worked her dress undone. 

“Kai.” His name was a breathless gasp as he carefully lowered her to the floor. She twisted her fingers into his hair and pulled him into a rough kiss, bruising hard, rushed and messy. They knew that no one would find them here so they had all of the time in the world but that didn’t slow them down. 

“Kai.” She spoke almost against his lips. “I…” 

“You don’t have to say it.” He said. “I know.” He ran his hand up her thigh, hooking her leg around his hip as he leant closer and kissed her much softly this time. “I know.” 

[cyborg-squid]

“As for myself, call me . . . Yes, call me ‘Jiao.’”

“Now it will be smooth sailing. I was actually more associated with sinking ships,but don’t let that bother you! Some sunken ships reach the temple of the sea god. Or is the Dragon Palace better known now?”

“Wait, why can I sense traces of its presence from you? Do you by any chance linked to that thing fluttering in the sky in the outside world?” (meaning Watcher, who is another sort of divine sea beast)

So on initial study, there seem to be a couple possibilities for what Jiao could be. The most straightforward is a Jialong, a type of Chinese river dragon, which is mentioned as having been hunted by others before. This makes sense, as they manifest from Qin Shi Huang’s God-Felling Crossbow, it’s likely that QSH might just have shot one at some point. Cause that’s what you do when you’re emperor. 

The second instance of Jiao I could find is in a Chinese ‘horn’ constellation, specifically that of Azure Dragon. This is kind of unlikely but still a possibility. 

The third possibility is a crossover between Chinese and Japanese dragons, and the most likely result. ‘Mizuchi’ in Japanese is another type of water dragon and a transliteration of the Chinese Jialong. Mizuchi is also known as a river god. There’s no direct evidence, but this bears a striking resemblance to the dragon goddess, that resides in the Sea Dragon’s Palace, that Tawara Touta encounters in his adventures and receives a blessing from. (Myth addresses them as the Dragon King, Tawara’s profile uses female pronouns, and Jiao in Strange Fake is described as androgynous and the narration about them uses gender-neutral pronouns). This Dragon King can also manifest as Qinglong/Ao Guang, the Azure Dragon mentioned previously, who also features in Journey to the West and Nezha’s adventures! 

Given that Fate has played around with combining dragons via the Evil Dragon Phenomenon in the past, it’s possible that these dragons are tied together into the Jiao we see in Strange Fake. (Hmmm... the Prelatis mention wanting to break into Spirit Tomb Albion, which houses a dragon as well...)

[ruibaozha]

GREETINGSE i was wondering if you could tell me (and the rest of tumblr) more about Nezha's artifacts/weapons ? He seems to have. a lot of them and I'd like to know more !!!

You have a very cool blog btw !! Thank you for sharing stuff about Nezha it's very interesting and fuels my hyperfixation 😌✨

Hello hello!

I'm sure items like Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels and Flame Tipped Spear are well known iconography, but in the spirit of over-explaining I would like to describe where these weapons came from among others within his arsenal. This post will overlap with a handful of points I had been saving for a post describing Nezha's military career so I apologize if anything stated becomes redundant.

Did you know that Nezha's conflicts with Ao Guang and the Lady Rock Demoness pre-date the publication of Canonization of the Gods? These stories appear elsewhere succinctly within the Ming-period encyclopedia The Grand Compendium of the Three Religions' Deities which record the careers of more than a hundred divinities, like Guanyin and Mazu (1). One of which described is Nezha. The translated description of his strength is as follows:

Nezha was originally a great arhat-immortal in the service of the Jade Emperor. He was six feet tall, his head crowned by a golden disc. He had six heads, nine eyes, and eight arms. He puffed out dark clouds. He stood on a large rock. His hand weilded an instrument of the law (falü). He roared loudly, summoning clouds and rain, shaking Heaven and Earth. Because the world was full of demon-kings, the Jade Emperor ordered him incarnated on earth ... The demons were all subdued by Nezha: The Bull Demon King, the Lion Demon King, the Elephant Demon King, the Horse-Headed Demon King, the World-Devouring Demon King, the Mother-of-Demons Demon King, the Nine-Headed Demon King, the Tārā Demon King, the Brahmā Demon King, the five-hundred yakshas, and the seventy-two Fire Crows all surrendered to him. (2)

And this reputation as a devout acolyte of either the Buddha or the Jade Emperor depending on which era you are drawing upon is something to be elaborated upon later. The very difference between it being the World-Honored One or the Jade Emperor sending Nezha to quell these demons is worthy of it's own elaborations, however we are here to discuss the two iconic stories that lead to his eventual suicide. Even within the pages of The Grand Compendium he could not escape his own demise:

When he was five days old, Nezha went bathing in the Eastern Ocean. He trampled over the [dragon king's] Crystal Palace. He somersaulted straight to the top of the Precious Pagoda. Because he had trampled over his palace, the infuriated dragon king challenged him to fight. By then, Nezha was already seven days old, and he could overcome the nine dragons. The old dragon had no choice, except complaining to the [Jade] Emperor. The General [Nezha] knew of his intention. Intercepting him by Heaven's Gate, he killed the dragon. Mounting the Jade Emperor's altar, Nezha took the Buddha's bow and arrows. He shot an arrow, unintentionally killing Lady Rock's son. Lady Rock raised an army to fight him. The General [Nezha] took the Demon-Felling Club from his father's altar and, fighting his way Westwards, slew her. Considering that Lady Rock had been the demons' chief, Nezha's father was infuriated. He worried lest his son's killing her would provoke the demon hordes to war. Therefore, the General [Nezha] sliced off his flesh and bones, returning them to his father. Holding fast to his inner soul (zhen ling), he hastened to the Buddha's side, pleading that the World-Honored One make him complete once more. Considering that Nezha could subdue demons, the Buddha snapped a lotus flower. He fashioned it's stem into bones, it's roots into flesh, it's fiber into tendons, and it's leaves into clothes, giving life to Nezha once more. (3)

There are of course similarities and differences but I mention this as it sets forward a number of precedents. Established is the moment Nezha is bathing in the river, the conflict with the dragon king Ao Guang, the presence of a bow and arrow, subjugation of a rock-spirit, and introduction of his iconic lotus motifs to name a few. But more pressingly it helps set the stage for what is perhaps the earliest known documentation of these tales.

Between 1228 and 1250 the Quanzhou Pagodas were constructed, the stone monuments depicting 80 Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints, and guardian divinities. The ground floor features ferocious martial gods protecting the stupa's gates so it is not a surprise that Nezha is found here protecting those behind him. Within the southest corner of the Eastern Pagoda's ground level, flanking both sides of the ornamental gate, are the tablets showing a benign and wrathful Nezha.

Notice the dragon beneath his feet, the belt made from it's tendons in his left hand and the divine bow in his right.

Notice the six arms and three heads. Alongside holding a sword, Nezha is also holding both a sun and a moon which was typical of many Tantric deities (4).

I only look so far back to help establish the image of the Nezha I am about to describe. The Song and Ming periods had a penchant for depicting Nezha with a fire-emanating wheel and/or fire-emanating ball such as within Hong Mai's Record of Hearsay (夷堅志). The story follows a Jiangxi ritual master named Cheng who was attacked by a strong stone spirit, he recites the "Spell of Nezha's Fireball" to summon him.

Cheng anxiously recited a spell and walked the Big Dipper Outline. The prodigy showed not the slightest fear and gradually pressed in against his body. Cheng realized that this was a stone spirit. Consequently he recited the "Spell of Nezha's Fireball" and, forming a mudrā, recited: "Divine General! Can you tolerate a wang-liang demon obstructing my way? Expel him forthwith!" Suddenly a fireball emerged from behind Cheng's body and struggled with the black lump. After a while a noise burst out, like clashing metal, and the black lump disappeared. The fireball made several revolutions around Cheng's body and also vanished. (5)

The Ming-era fiction, theatre dramas and overly-flattering literature largely named Nezha's fiery weapon as a Dharma wheel, a fire wheel, or a golden wheel. Within The Grand Compendium Nezha is using the Dharma wheel, in Zhu Youdun's The Bodhisattva Manjusri Subjugates the Lion Nezha is using the golden wheel against the fearsome animal, and the 1592 edition of The Journey to the West describes his "lightning-propelled fire wheel"(6). The presence of the fire wheel is not completely unique to Nezha though as it is an ancient emblem of Buddhist law, a similarly Ming-era mural within the Beijing Fahai Temple showing a Tantric deity with six arms and a weapon held by each. The flame wheel is also present here.

The flame wheel was not alone though, often Nezha would have an embroidered ball accompanying it. The Journey to the West would explain it's use in conjunction with the flaming wheel: "The lightning propelled fire wheel was like darting flame; Hither and thither the embroidered ball rotated"(7).

Even Nezha's golden brick has it's roots. Mark Meulenbeld has argued that the golden brick used against his brother Muzha within Canonization of the Gods has origins in Ming Daoist scriptures. The ritual compendium The Daoist Methods United in Principle, which predates Canonization by over two centuries, recommends the use of golden bricks for locking demons in bottles (8).

Equally an argument can be made that Nezha's Wind Fire Wheels and Flame Tipped spear have roots within Daoist exorcism with Buddhist overlap. By the fifteenth century edition of The Daoist Methods United in Principle Nezha is described weilding the golden brick, a golden spear, and riding fire wheels(9).

This answer has already gotten quite long, so I hope this was sufficient thus far. I would be more than happy to elaborate on this topic further if there is interest for it. Thank you for your question!

Citations:

(1) This compendium survives presently in both a Ming-era edition titled Sanjiao yuanliu shengdi fozu sou shen daquan (三教源流搜神大全) and a Qing-era edition titled Huitu sanjiao yuanliu soushen daquan (绘图三教搜神大全).

(2) Within the Ming-era edition this description is present on pages 326-327. Within the Qing-era edition, 330-331.

(3) Within the Ming-era edition this is described on page 326. Within the Qing-era edition, page 330.

(4) It is worth saying that this well may not be Nezha. The pagodas lack cartouches. Within Twin Pagodas of Zayton G. Ecke and P. Demiéville cite a local tradition to identify the three-headed six-armed guardian as an asura demon and the opposite image as the dragon king Sāraga. However a proper association between the images is never made and both the bow and tendons are unexplained.

(5) The translation used here is by Edward Davis within Society and the Supernatural on pages 47-48. Within Hong Mai's Yijian zhi the original is on pages 1429-1430. Davis identifies Cheng as a village ritual master and thus distinguished from Daoist priests. However, Li Fengmao's Wuying xinyang on pages 573-574 highlights the orthodox Daoist elements within Cheng's performance.

(6) It may be worth comparing editions here. Take the Ming and Qing era editions of The Grand Compendium page 326 and page 330 respectively against Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West 4.44, translated by Anthony Yu on 1:129.

(7) This is also Anthony Yu's translation within 1:129.

(8) Daofa huiyuan, DZ 1220, 240.11a, 138.13a and Fahai yizhu, DZ 1166, 15.17a; Meulenbeld's chapter 5 of Demonic Warfare.

(9) Daofa huiyuan, DZ 1220, 138.13a.