#caregiver macaque

[tiny-bingo]

Little Mk is playing hide and seek with Macaque, the two are just having a fun time.

(This took so long to make qwq)

[trash-raccoon-boy]

Little comic

My friend gave me a prompt to use for little Mk.

Momcaque is playing hide and seek with the little, he cheats but Mk does mind cause he's having fun.

This took so long qwq

[jelliefishhhh]

Hiii my agere blog is @buttoneyedteddy and I was wondering if I could get caregiver hcs for Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque from Lego Monkie Kid if you’re able to?? :)

I haven’t actually watched LMK, so I’m making these headcanons based on information taken from my friend who has watched the show!

Sun Wukong and Six-Eared Macaque Caregiver Headcanons

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

- Wukong would be the kind of dad to pick you up and swing you around in the air whenever he can - Macaque and Wukong fight over which one of them is the better CG. They fight for the title of favourite parent all the time as well - You and Wukong are playing with your plushies? Macaque will burst in with a box of crayons, saying he found a wall for you to draw on. - They both love you a bunch, of course - Your safety and happiness come before any of their little competitions - Sunwukong would bake with you, and you guys would make peach pies together - It doesn’t matter to him if you guys get all dirty during it - As long as you’re having fun

[little-bugz18]

[ainnur]

What's your opinion on other AU's that depict Bai He and Macaque as a father and daughter duo?

My opinion?

Alright to put it simple, I don't like them being father and daugher duo. Or people like to call Rasberry Duo or whatever. I don't fully hate them cuz it's not canon (it be different story if it is) I just don't really like them (it's okay if you like them , you do you bud)

My reason for that is just I think Macaque would make shit parent. The way he treat MK and other, I wouldn't let him near any kid

Then what about the the monkey who like him? Oh well listen I also don't know about that okay. They make them love hang on him. Which could be fuck up cuz in JTTW he eat one of the monkey. But I still don't know what happen in LMK. And when the monkeys hang on to him be just look all annoyed like wanting to do anything with him. But I know for sure that monkeys didn't just hang on anyone they don't trust.

To me he can be decent caregiver. He the type of person who let the kids play with knive while he watch at best

I have personal dynamic I like with Macaque and Bai He here

That all from me if anything feel free to ask

[sunflower1experiment]

Reader is deity of a sauna

Sun Wukong

“Now everyone, when we meet this being please refer to them in a neutral term. Their people see them in many many forms and I don’t think they take kindly to make breaking anymore rules- after I broke a couple with them.”

MK and Mei nod while Sandy claps excitedly, “We’re going to a Sauna!!! YES! The right place to relax and admire your growth when it comes to glow ups!” Sun nods lightly, “Exactly this deity is a being of growth, and relaxation. I don’t want them to worry to much.”

“So they’re a deity of the sauna?”

“No they’re a descendant of the being who cultivates in self growth. They created this hot tub and Sauna as a form of respect to their great grandparent, and many people who came in, came out happy, exhilarating and well: they changed.” Ping shifts his glasses, a cool glint pierces them before he grabs his book.

“This being is also known for their beauty, grace and tidiness! Sooo MK please don’t ruin anything treasure to them.”

“Will do!” MK smiles before falling onto the doorstep. “Starting now…hehe.”

The doors open, someone’s hand appears following with a robe and long hair. “Sun Wukong?”

“That-That’s them!? They’re so…” Pigsy’s eyes sparkle with pure adoration. “Beautiful.”

“|Name| meet my crew!” They bow respectfully, “You have my thanks for taking care of Sun Wukong, he’s a hero in my eyes: though he made a few bad choices he’s always welcomed to be rehabilitated.” The deity steps forward now behind MK. “Who’s the adorable child.” Scooping him up they admire him. “Such gorgeous eyes.”

“Yet very emotionally distressed.” Another step, and MK was being carried inside, suddenly a string of the robe grabs Mei and Pigsy. “Come along. Ah you must be Sandy, one of my workers know of you, let’s get going I wish for you to be comfortable.”

Sun Wukong blushes lightly as his tail slightly droops, ‘Hm no headpats from them. Odd..’ As they got their new customers situated they pull Sun aside and hug him. “You’ve been gone awhile and now you’re back?” He chuckles. “Not all the way back but I’m sure you missed me?”

“Of course I did, you bring new friends and come back all stressed, emotional and I can tell you’re close to relapsing: what happened.” Sun Wukong sighs, leaning into their arms. “I’m…not sure honestly..” their hand rubs his face. “Stay as long as you like dear, Monkie King you need to be careful with your choices.”

Macaque

“Macaque is here.” Sun Wukong winces as a booming voice leaves the sauna. “IS THAT SO!?”

Soon an angry deity walks out then charges at Macaque who was ready to be pummeled but instead their hands held his face as he was then smothered. “My poor sweetheart!! What happened, where were you? Was my caregiving not enough? Was I too smothering?” He sighs. “No no- I just wanted to get us home.”

“Dear no matter what, you’ll always be my home.” He hugs |Name| close, allowing them to peck his cheek multiple times before they hold Macaque’s hand and help him inside. “Let’s go. I have so much warmth and sleeping space for you.” MK sighs then yells loudly. “FINALLLYYYY!!!!!”

“FINALLY SOME REST!” He cries softly while the deity chuckles a bit. “Consider this your home too.” Macaque stares at them, with a gentle squeeze |Name| turns to him then the two share a warm smile.

Red son

“Red son?”

“Yes Red son- Please!!!!” The door opens, a couple of men and women peek out from the sauna. “My workers and I will do all we can to help him relax.”

“YES- thank you! You rule!! WOOO! Red son come on.” Red son grumbles, walking towards them while they step aside and guide them in. Mei giggles happily while walking with the duo of boys to the sauna. “Look at this place! It’s so gorgeous!”

“Well of course, this is the sauna of healing! Anyone that comes in, will leave feeling like a new person!”

Two women bow and show them their robes, “I’m not wearing that!? What if it exposes me!?” |Name|’s towering form leans down, “We can’t have that, come along. I’ll take you to my quarters.” He blushes with a sigh but follows them, they then show him their own hot tub. “Comfort is what I seek out. Now, relax.”

The demon prince stood there, as the deity got ready to leave he spoke. “Do you ever miss what we shared together?”

“Always…”

“Were we ever broken apart?”

“Never my king. You’ve always been my prince.” The blush he wore darkens. “So will you, beloved deity of healing…Grace me with your company?” They chuckle happily as they hold Red Son’s hand to nuzzle him. “Of course my king.”

Ne Zha

“This guy really needs a break!” Ne Zha glares at Sun Wukong while |Name| acknowledges their presence but still felt annoyance grace them. “Sun Wukong let Ne Zha, handle his own affairs and quit meddling with us.”

“But |Naaaaameeee|!!”

“AHT AHT! Quit! I’m a deity of healing, growth and rejuvenation!” Sun Wukong nods. “So?”

“Ne Zha would you like to be rejuvenated?” The male chuckles, “If it’s anything involving being with you my dear then I accept.”

“Thank you.” The deity turns, then focuses on their settings within the sauna once more. “….You still need to ask them for their companionship.”

“Sun Wukong. You know neither of us do what humans do.”

“Wait you’re already together!?” He looks between the two, “Yes, we just don’t reciprocate any romantic feelings. It’s more of we care for one another and are willing to express the companionship we share emotionally but in terms of romance it doesn’t matter to us.”

Sun Wukong hums. “You both are perfect for each other…”

“Thank you, |Name| and I agree.” |Name| sits with the two and they continue enjoying their teas while Macaque joins in soon after sitting beside Sun Wukong.

[jellyfish-nursery]

I found a ticket! 🎟️ It's a ticket to make any kind of charather mood board, hc or whatever you'd like for who'd you like!! You don't have to do this, but if you'd like!

Ooh! What an opportunity.. what about..

Six-Eared Macaque & Sun Wukong || Caregiver Stimboard

If I have used your gif and you would like credit, contact me and I will add credit as soon as possible!

[lillyliketowrite]

🙈Hide and go seek🙈

(Requested by @trash-raccoon-boy)

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

Swish, Swish, left, right, uppercut, sidekick.

The six eared Macaque was showing MK good weak spots on his test dummy. Each hit harder than the last. His breath hitching with every hit. He then took out his dark purple glowing staff, then smack. The dummy’s stuffing went all over the place. MK didn’t see it, as he was too distracted with Macaque’s lantern. He has been trying to to regress for hours. It’s been killing him. But of course, his regression won in the end and he reached out to touch the lantern.

“Kid?” Macaque turned around. He then yelped as he gripped MK’s hand and yanked it away.

“KID, YOU CAN’T TOUCH THAT!!!” He yelled, a mix of relief and anger. MK shook a bit, startled by Macaque’s yelling. He began to tear up.

“M…Mad?” He sniffled, his lower lip quivering. Macaque’s angry expression turned to one of guilt. He sighed.

“No bud… I’m not mad. It’s just… that lantern is dangerous… I’m sorry, MK, I shouldn’t have let it out in the open.” Macaque said, progressively speaking more softly. MK was already tearing up, as he gripped his hands out to Macaque. He sighed then chuckled.

“What am I gonna do with you?..” He said, picking MK up and bouncing him lightly. “Shhh… I’m sorry for being a meanie, that wasn’t nice…” Macaque comforted, rubbing his back as he bounced him. Continuing to shush and bounce him, walking out of the training room into his bedroom. He set MK down on the bed, as he was still crying, startled by the yelling. Macaque frowned.

“Okay… how about this. What’s it gonna take for you to stop crying?” Macaque asked MK, MK looked up at Macaque. He slowly calmed down, then smiled.

“Play!” He shouted excitedly. The reason he loved playing with Macaque so much is because he doesn’t really like doing it, but he is the best at playing hide and seek. Wukong and Mei are usually the ones who play with him. Macaque is kind of the “downtime-chill” kinda caregiver. He groaned, not too audibly, trying not to make MK cry again.

“Okay, fine. What do you want to play?” He sighed as he rubbed his eyes. MK clapped his hands and thought for a moment.

“Hi an see! Oh! Nu… um… tag! Nu, wait! Hi an see!” MK spoke, if you couldn’t tell, he was quite indecisive. Macaque smiled softly, then chuckled.

“Okay, kid. Let me guess… you want me to count?” He raised a brow. MK nodded. He didn’t like counting or finding people, so he always “let” Macaque do it. Macaque covered his eyes with his hand.

“1…2…” He snickered slightly as MK gasped and Macaque could hear him running, trying to find a hiding spot.

“28…29..30. Ready or not, here I co-“ He paused, and started to laugh a bit. He sees MK’s shoes under a curtain with a bulk. He chuckled, then played along.

“Hmm? I wonder where he is? He’s such a great hider, that’s odd…” He spoke as he got closer to the curtain. He reached out to get it.

“Maybe he’s behind… HERE!” He snatched back the curtain to see a pillow, and his shoes. He gasped lightly, then tilted his head.

“Huh?” He spoke, folding back the curtain before looking for him again. Before he could even turn around, MK tackled him in a hug.

“BOO!” MK shouted, making Macaque jump. MK was laughing up a storm, as Macaque catched his breathing, holding his heart. He turned around and took MK in his arms.

“You cheeky little monkey!” He shouted as he tickled MK’s sides. Their laughter filling the room, as Macaque kept tickling him. MK then escaped his grasp, smiling contently. Macaque kneeled on one knee.

“Wow, that was smart, kid. Good job…” He praised as he ruffled his hair. MK giggled then smoothed his hair back up. He then yawned, rubbing an eye. Macaque chuckled.

“Okay, sugarplum… naptimeeee~” He says in a sing song voice. MK’s eyes shot up as he booked it. Macaque gasped then went to follow him, not running but speed walking. He chuckled.

“Cmon, bud! You can’t hide forever!” He yelled out, looking around. He then sees a hair poking out from under a tablecloth. He snickered as he kneeled down.

“Mk~ Life would be so much easier if you get your nap time.” He smiled as he sat down and leaned against the table leg, an arm on his raised knee. No response. He looked back at the table.

“MK?” He lifted the tablecloth.

“M-, oh.” He chuckled and smiled softly to see MK, under the table, sucking his thumb asleep. He chuckled as he placed a portal under MK, the portal transporting to the top of Macaque as he catched MK from the portal. Rocking him softly, he made his way to the bed. He noticed his thumb, and took it out of his mouth, his response? Whining. Macaque shushed him, and quickly put the pacifier in his mouth.

“Shhh… there we go.. now, let’s get you out of those clothes…” He told himself. He pulled MK close to the edge of the bed and took off his pants and shirt, carefully putting him in a pajama set that Wukong brought, just in case he slipped in training. He was about to put on his pants until he hummed.

“Would he need a diaper…? Nah… maybe? A pull up, at least..” He spoke to himself once more as he got him a pull up, cream and powder. He changed him into the pull up with no problem. He was used to it, seeing as he was raised taking care of the cubs, who of course, weren’t potty trained yet. He smiled as he saw MK look content with his pjs and pull up. He picked him up, and started to rock him. He was a bit afraid to put him down, as he’s afraid of he left him, he’d get into something or cry for him. So he just held him.

And held him he did~

***I was literally laughing so hard on class because this is too cute. Thx to the lovely bunny who requested this! Please please PLEASE go to my requests post and put any littlespace (sfw) request in there! Check out my wattpad! Byee honey bunnies!***

[coolbutnotthere]

As much as Cool pretends that Caregivers are a completely different natural species from the children they where a species that they created. Cool wasn’t the first caregiver, they were always a child. They just could never be taken care of the way that they took care of those around them. That is why Cool is so childish and interested in things they aren’t 100% on like the gods and Nezha as well as Redson. They know all they want to about the others, less so on Macaque but they never took interest in any of them.

Cool is the embodiment of a child that had to grow up too fast. A child that shall never get the chance to make up for it because they can never make up for what they missed and continue to miss. This is a cycle that Cool has created with them needing to be taken care of but their need to care of others shall always get in the way of that and they shall never be completely ok.

The chaos of the flame and madness they cause is the only relief and they shall never stop watching as others suffer for what they had to go though with no hope of getting help.

Cool is the embodiment of child abandonment. Not chaos.

Nothing will ever make them better.

They are a threat that won’t stop until they have killed themselves in the madness

[mythicalmagical-monkeyman]

What zodiac would everyone be? (Blame Tabs)

@tabsters for that exact reason :3

oky, so personality wise and birthdays, I can do.

---

Macaque:

--(Birthday) Mac is 100% a dead of winter birthday so Pisces (February 1-5)

--(Personality) A leo. loyal, consistent, theatrical, ambition and determination. good fit :3

(bonus incorrect quote: Macaque: Like the zodiac sign? I'm a Leo. Ma: No, stupid, Azure's a Leo. You're a Macaque.)

Wukong:

--(Birthday) Brain is telling me Wukong needs a spring birthday, so he'd be Aries just barely (aka middle of April for birthday)

--(Personality) He's a virgo surprisingly? Like logical, kind, attuned to the ingredients that make up a whole, hardworking, smart but he's almost a different flavor of Virgo if that makes sense?

Ma:

--(Birthday) Gemini for the fact that it'd be funny if she was one of those "my-zodiac-personality-matches-my-real-life-personality" people

--(Personality) Ma is a Gemini that is all. creative, fearless thinker, communication is key, playful and curious.

Sandy:

--(Birthday) Sandy needs a summer birthday me thinks, so Leo

--(Personality) Cancer (but he also could have been a Scorpio) and definitely not just because they are both land and sea creatures. loyal, commitment, emotional depth, excellent host, comfort food, comfort, self-care, and caregiver.

MK:

--(Birthday) Scorpio for no reason.

--(Personality) Libra me thinks? Art, intellectualism, harmony/equilibrium, relationships are key, and social.

Nezha:

--(Birthday) Brain neeeeds to have Nezha's birthday be Christmas day for reason so that would make him a Capricorn

--(Personality) my bro is an Aquarius, misconceptions, innovative, progressive, rebellious, teamwork and humanitarian, seems somewhat cold.

Tang:

--(Birthday) Cancer, he's also summer but a different type

--(Personality) (this one was hard but) Pisces: fantasy vs reality. empathetic, compassionate, imagination, and kind.

DBK:

--(Birthday) DBK seems like a fall birthday guy so Libra

--(Personality) Aries :3 Bold, dives headfirst into even the most challenging situations, passionate, confident leader and has relentless determination.

Ao Lie:

--(Birthday) I see Ao Lie having a winter birthday so he'd be a Sagittarius

--(Personality) um so tabs how do u feel about Ao Lie being a Sagittarius? Look he's passionate, curious, intense (sometimes), explorer, seeker of knowledge and adaptable.

(side note: Erlang is also a libra)

source

[is-the-primate-vid-cute]

how much free contact do you think is appropriate with large vs. small primates? (in a zoo/sanctuary/fieldwork setting, not as an exotic “pet” obv) i see some researchers who are in free contact with chimps/orangutans but from a distance; but at zoos/sanctuaries they’re pretty much always in protected contact. and what about for small monkeys? for them it seems to vary a lot from facility to facility. protected contact is basically universal for a lot of animals now but for primates it seems less standardized. thank you! love your blog so much

There is a lot of variation in terms of what level of contact is deemed appropriate for professionals working with primates, and the safety of all involved must be the top priority.

Oftentimes the larger a species is, the more caution and physical barriers there are. Using rubricks like size is smart because it is obejctive, easily observable, and overall a good starting point. For example, at the Toronto Zoo I saw a keeper in the lemur enclosure, cleaning with a hose and broom while the ring tailed lemurs went about their regular lives. I have a feeling that the same would not happen with the gorillas, and they would be shifted indoors before anyone went in their habitat.

Besides size, how territorial a species or individuals are is an important factor. I would much rather be in an enclosure with a group of capuchins than a troupe of Japanese macaques, for example. Any time the habitat is enclosed more caution is taken, as space is limited and the chance of an animal feeling threatened may be higher.

I would say that my main consideration in determining how much contact is appropriate is primarily how much contact is necessary. Sanctuaries such as Lola ya Bonobo, Tacugama Chimpanzee Rescue, and Borneo Orangutan Survival have a lot of person-to-ape contact because their work necessitates it. Orphaned ape infants need direct contact with their caregivers, and appropriate boundaries are still established such as introducing the orphans to other and older members of their species and rotating staff so they don't become too attached. Additionally, direct contact is severely limited with adults of the species because it is not necessary and can be a risk to the safety of human caregivers, even if the ape means no harm. In the past I have likened chimp strength to if you were play wrestling with a friend and accidentally ripped their arm off, as even if adults are affectionate or playful they can hurt you. An adult orangutan that recognizes their previous caregiver and decides to solicit a piggyback ride, for example, would not be good.

This will always vary as every primate (including humans) are individuals. Some professionals that work with primates are willing to take the risk of close contact with adult apes, but it is standard practice to keep distance and barriers in between species. My rule of thumb when it comes to close contact is "could affection/an inner-species interaction from this animal hurt me?" As I am aware that me participating in a gorilla play wrestle could be fatal, where a howler monkey jumping on me wouldn't hurt.

As we emphasize often the chances of you being hurt unprovoked by a primate are low, but having a standard that emphasizes caution is the best practice. It is easy to fall in love with the animals you spend time with, and keeping a barrier serves as good protection and a reminder that you should stay vigilant and careful even with your best friend from another genus. -mod J

Another thing to consider is the history of the animal. Wild or properly reared primates are much safer in free contact than ex-pets or other animals who were inappropriately handled from a young age. The reason for this is wild animals retain some fear of humans, even in spaces where human-primate contact is common like macaques in cities. These macaques don't tend to want to be near the humans for the humans sake but do for the food and will not willingly be captured, cornered, or touched by humans (unless they were trained to for entertainment purposes). Pets or even sometimes lab animals who weren't given proper social lives during their primary years tend towards aggression and frustration due to the pain and confusion these situations can cause in primates. These animals will also actively choose to act out their aggression towards humans even in protected contact. It's not uncommon to have an animal reach through bars or fences to attempt to grab keepers, throw things at the barriers, hide (sneak tactics can indicate defensive aggression), self harm while making eye contact with keepers, and other indications of distress that convey aggression.

Additionally, a monkey or ape who was inappropriately reared would know these things: 1. Humans like me and I can get my hands on strangers very easily. 2. I am stronger than humans and can take what I want.

Wild or properly reared primates won't know this and don't tend to attempt aggressive contact unless it's absolutely necessary.

-mod E

[tiny-bingo]

Cg Macaque mood board, he's a gentle caregiver. He's the more responsible one, and will make sure you eat and go to bed on time. But he'll also do arts and crafts with you, and do mini plays.

I can see him using his shadow powers to play with you, and make little shadowplays to help you fall asleep. He loves telling you stories, rather they're his own or just regular books;and will always do little voices.

[trash-raccoon-boy]

MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS!

[rayalltheway]

For reasons I’ve decided to outline where I stand with my two main LMK OCs and having kids, to make it clear to everyone hopefully.

Cw// mentions of sex and producing children

First IMPORTANT CONTEXT: Changbiyaun and Zhuang Jie are (mostly) elderly characters and asexual queer platonic partners. They are eventually married and are emotionally and physically intimate with one another, but don’t go beyond a certain point. That was also the relationship Changbiyuan had with their late spouse Zhizhu. They don’t have a sexual relationship, and even if they did they probably couldn’t naturally produce children even if they wanted to, but that’s besides the point.

Anyway how Zhuang Jie and Changbiyuan both individually feel about having kids

Zhuang Jie: Before having his surrogate family, Zhuang Jie wasn’t emotionally or mentally available to entertain thoughts about having marriage or kids, given his bloody profession. But when he promised his mentor to take care of her younger sister and her children following her death, shedding the cold-blooded killer persona to become a family man was something that caused him quite a lot of inner turmoil, as he suddenly found that he liked having these relationships and maybe even wanted them, but the involvement of sex/romance and heteronormative way that they were expected to come about in the time he lived made him uncomfortable in a way he didn’t really understand, until Changbiyuan came along and expressed that they felt the same way. He truly came to love his surrogate children in a fatherly way, and you already know the story with Liu Er. All the children he has ever had in any AU have never been biologically related to him, and he’s happy with it that way.

Changbiyaun: They’ve never personally wanted kids. They are pretty good with kids, mainly due to having their nieces and nephews when they were alive, but being a parent themselves has just never been in the cards for them, and Zhizhu respected that. The situation with Macaque is different because by the time they meet him he’s a full grown adult who can take care of himself. They do love him like a son, since through Zhuang Jie he basically is, but their familial relationship isn’t based really on providing or caregiving or “bringing you into this world”, more just being available and there. I don’t mind AUs where kid Mac is involved, but I try to make it so that Zhuang Jie is always in the main caretaker and parent spot, if that makes sense (Changbiyuan and Zhuang Jie are in a partnership, so they’ll be there to help cuz that’s just they would do for the people they love)

So basically, biological kids for the LWAU duo are a no, even if it’s mainly because of the way I’ve constructed their characters, but yeah. It would just delegitimize a lot of what makes them them. In the main AU they’ve got their hands full with one emotionally damaged adoptive monkey son and being grandparent figures for basically everyone. And if you guys can respect that with me, you can respect that for other people no matter their reasoning. And if you can’t, go away.

[ball-eis-korakas]

Across human cultures and languages, adults talk to babies in a very particular way. They raise their pitch and broaden its range, while also shortening and repeating their utterances; the latter features occur even in sign language. Mothers use this exaggerated and musical style of speech (which is sometimes called “motherese”), but so do fathers, older children, and other caregivers. Infants prefer listening to it, which might help them bond with adults and learn language faster.

But to truly understand what baby talk is for, and how it evolved, we need to know which other animals use it, if any. The great apes don’t seem to vocally, but might use a gestural equivalent. Squirrel monkeys and rhesus macaques use special calls when talking to youngsters, but they’re very different from human baby talk, which is a modified version of normal speech. Zebra finches are closer to us: When singing in front of juveniles, adults add longer pauses between musical phrases and repeat introductory notes. Greater sac-winged bat mothers also change their pitch and timbre when signaling to pups, but again, it’s hard to tell if they’re using a distinct call or doing something analogous to baby talk. To make an inarguable case for the latter, you’d need to study a species that talks with both infants and older peers using the same standardized, identifiable call. In other words, you’d need a dolphin.

Every bottlenose dolphin produces its own unique signature whistle, which is the closest thing any animal has to a human name. Dolphins can recognize individuals through these whistles and will sometimes copy one another’s, perhaps as a form of address. They use their whistles frequently, to announce their position when separated from their pod, or as an introduction when meeting up with new groups. Calves develop their own signature whistles based on those they hear around them, and once learned, the whistles can go unchanged for at least 12 years.

Laela Sayigh, a zoologist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, has been studying the signature whistles of bottlenoses in Sarasota Bay, Florida, since 1986 as part of the world’s longest-running study of wild dolphins. She and her colleagues regularly catch these animals, check their health, and record their calls before releasing them. Sometimes, they catch mothers and calves together, and the animals exchange signature whistles throughout the process. By analysing 19 such moments, recorded over 34 years, Sayigh’s student Nicole El Haddad showed that mothers raised and widened the pitch of their signature whistles when calling to their calves, just as humans do when talking to their babies.

“We were just blown away by how consistent the effect was,” Sayigh told me. Between their intelligence and strong personality, dolphins behave unpredictably enough that scientists who study them are used to gleaning faint patterns amid messy data. But in this study, every mom changed its signature whistle around its calf in the same way. “The data are extraordinary and impressive,” Sabine Stoll, who studies language evolution at the University of Zurich, told me.

Dolphin baby talk isn’t exactly the same as ours—dolphin whistles don’t get more repetitive—but it’s certainly “the most convincing case of child-directed communication found in nonhuman animals to date,” Mirjam Knörnschild from the Museum of Natural History in Berlin, who led the study on sac-winged bats, told me. And its existence in a species separated from us by more than 90 million years of history is likely a “stunning” example of convergent evolution, Stoll said.

If both species evolved baby talk independently, perhaps they did so for similar reasons. Human parents can better grab their infants’ attention through high-pitched baby talk than through normal speech, and dolphin mothers might do the same. Keeping her signature whistle but raising its pitch “would be a pretty foolproof way for the mom to say ‘This whistle is meant for you’ to the calf, and for the calf to know My mom is talking to me right now and no one else,” Sayigh said. That specificity would allow both of them to keep close contact in a raucous ocean where many dolphins might be sounding off at once.

Human baby talk is also thought to strengthen a baby’s bond with its caregivers, and to help it learn language by exaggerating important features of the spoken word. The same could well apply to dolphins, which also stay with their mother for a long time, and learn calls by listening to their peers. But testing these ideas would be incredibly hard without separating mothers and their calves—an experiment that Sayigh said would cross an ethical line. She showed that dolphin baby talk exists; its exact role “is just one of those things that might have to go unanswered,” she said.

[unseelie-robynx]

In the little brothers au, after being rescued does little MK end up seeing Pigsy and Tang even more like his dads than before? And if so how would they react to this? I imagine it would be pretty bitter sweet given the situation? Also what about little Macaque if he’s still regressed around when this is happening?

So I've been thinking about this one, and how it could go, and I think you're probably right.

Potentially the whole thing could make Regressed!Xiaotain terrified of 'caregiver' figures, because he knows the last one, despite being kind and warm and loving and everything a caregiver should be, also seriously hurt him. Ane because of that he had a hard time knowing if any sort of care like that is secretly a bad thing.

But at the same time, he's a little kid inside (age varying) and he wants someone to love him and care for him. And Pigsy and Tang do that. So there's potentially a whole thing there where he sees them as caregivers, and loves them and wants to be with them and have them 'make things better', but at the same time, he's terrified of them, because he was told repeatedly and insistently that the last person to take care of him like that was bad and Xiaotian knows that Big Brother/Baba Monkey King did something really wrong and hurt him, because there's a part of him that knows he shouldn't be like this (even if it's really hard to remember the him that wasn't like this), and so that trained fear and distrust is there for them to deal with.

So Regressed!Xiaotian comes to Tang and Pigsy to be taken care of, and treats them like parents, but also the two of them know that Xiaotain shouldn't be like this and it makes it hard for them to take care of him the way he needs, which ends up hurting Xiaotian and making him pull away, before that need to be helped and taken care of wins out (or he tries to be 'adult' and do things on his own that his younger mind can't manage and ends up hurting himself or having a breakdown and then the others have to get involved)

But also I think there's a part of Regressed!Xiaotian that knows these two aren't his parents, because he's a monkey and he has to use magic to look the way they want him to (the way he's supposed to be?) and he can kind of remember that these two were like parents, but also he already has Big Brother, and that part of his mind that only holds the memories of his 'new' life on FFM wants to go home and so constantly battling with that is also something that gets in the way of him seeing the two of them as dads/ feeling wrong when he does.

As for Macaque, I don't think that the good guys manage to get Macaque away from SWK. They didn't even really know he was a factor into all of this until later, and their focus had been on getting Xiaotian and then getting away. So he is very much still under SWK's control and this regressed, (although they others will probably make an effort at some point to get him out, but that would be more an incident of opportunity than anything else), and not dealing with this well.

After all, his Baby Brother, who he was supposed to protect and keep safe, was stolen away by bad people and now Big Brother is never around because he's always off looking for Baby Brother and so Liu Er is always alone now (and SWK made Liu Er dependant on him and unable to not be around him for long) and he's not handling it well.

He's trying to be a good boy and do everything he's supposed to, but he needs Big Brother, but when Big Brother is home he's angry and upset and nothing Liu Er does helps and so his mental state is breaking a little bit.

(Potentially breaking enough to let a bit of Macaque back out, possible just enough to remember that there's a world outside of FFM which he'd been made to forget and enough to plant the idea that maybe he should go try any help find Baby Brother, so that Big Brother will be happy again and come home and Liu Er won't be alone anymore)

If Macaque does leave, that would be the opportunity to 'free' him that the others would have, catch the 'cub' since he can't really fight back. And like I mentioned in THIS POST Macaque's regression is different from Xiaotian's, so he wakes up easier and more completely, (although it would still take a long time, time they probably don't actually have to let it complete as once both his little brothers are gone SWK is going to be on a terrifying warpath), and that makes things uncomfortable for everyone, because why can't Xiaotian be 'waking up' like that?

But Macaque never had parents, only SWK as his 'big brother', so there wouldn't be any 'attachment' from him onto members of the group, while/if he was with them.