#flood dragon demon king

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Regrets of Journey to the West (2021)大话西游之遗憾

Picture: N/A Type: Costume Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Type: Retelling

Summary:

Five hundred years ago, Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the Jiao Demon King joined forces to cause trouble in the Heavenly Palace. After the failure of making trouble in the sky, the Bull Demon King and the Iron Fan Princess began to live in seclusion in the mountains and forests; the Jiao Demon King had no choice but to take refuge under the Dragon Prince and became a sea-turning general. Sun Wukong, on the other hand, was pinned down by the Buddha at the foot of Wuzhi Mountain. He could not get out at the bottom of the mountain for five hundred years. If he went out even a little bit, he would be electrocuted. Every once in a while, Monk Tang would go to the cave to chant sutras and educate Sun Wukong, hoping to guide Sun Wukong to do good. However, Sun Wukong was tortured quite a lot because of his rambling words. Until later, Tang Monk mentioned that Sun Wukong still needs to go through a love tribulation...

By chance, he met Dengwick Ha Yi who playfully escaped from the Buddha's hands. Only then did they realize that they had crossed paths five hundred years ago. When Sun Wukong was causing havoc in the Heavenly Palace, he once lamented the beauty of Ha Yi, who was still a candle at that time. Ha Yi is innocent, cute, and inexperienced in worldly affairs. She is full of freshness about everything and chatters every day, but Sun Wukong does not find it annoying. In order to escape from Wuzhishan as soon as possible, Sun Wukong told Ha Yi that he had fallen deeply in love with her. Ha Yi started to pick a few peaches for Sun Wukong to eat every day, and also liked to buy some novel gadgets from the market. The two began a sweet life. Sun Wukong has a secret crush on Ha Yi, but he doesn't realize it, thinking that he is just lying to Ha Yi. When they were playing around that day, Ha Yi said that she wanted to kiss Sun Wukong, but Sun Wukong subconsciously avoided it, and then told a lie to avoid it without noticing Ha Yi's loss.

Ha Yi went out and met the Dragon Girl. It turned out that the Dragon Prince and the Jiao Demon King had a grudge against Sun Wukong because of their previous entanglements. They had always wanted to get rid of Sun Wukong. After learning about the relationship between Sun Wukong and Ha Yi, they sent the Dragon Girl to explore the relationship between them. Dragon Girl told Ha Yi that if a man doesn't want to kiss you, it means he doesn't love you. Ha Yi was deceived by the Dragon Girl and went to the Dragon Palace.

After Sun Wukong realized that Ha Yi was missing, he began to lose his mind. He suddenly realized that he loved Ha Yi deeply and wanted to go out to find Ha Yi. His former friend, the Bull Demon King, came over for a drink and comforted Sun Wukong, saying that maybe Ha Yi had changed her mind and returned to the Buddha to work as a wick, so it was better to let Ha Yi be free. Sun Wukong realized his previous mistake and was ready to give up the idea of chasing Ha Yi.

But later, Dragon Girl took the things of Ha Yi's and told Sun Wukong that Ha Yi was in their hands. If they wanted Ha Yi to survive, they should come to the Dragon Palace. Sun Wukong withstood the lightning strike from Wuzhishan Mountain and almost died. Moved his former friends, the Bull Demon King and the Jiao Demon King. The Dragon King and Prince set up an ambush in the Dragon Palace, planning to kill Sun Wukong and then claim credit from heaven. The war between Sun Wukong's demon clan and the dragon clan was about to break out. At this moment, all the demon clan brothers began to kill each other. Sun Wukong was shocked, and the Jiao Demon King ran to the Dragon Prince to perform meritorious deeds. The Dragon Prince laughed, Sun Wukong said that the Jiao Demon King betrayed me today, and he could betray you tomorrow! At this moment, the Jiao Demon King struck a heavy blow at the Dragon Prince. It turns out that as early as the beginning, when the Jiao Demon King realized that Sun Wukong was no longer the same Sun Wukong, he had already changed his mind, and then they designed this game-within-a-game together. However, the Dragon King Prince still shot a cold arrow at Sun Wukong and then ran away. In order to save Sun Wukong, Ha Yi was killed by the Dragon Prince. Sun Wukong was temporarily occupied by hatred, began to absorb the electricity in his body, and began to become powerful and violent.

The Dragon Prince breaks off the Dragon Girl's horns to help himself escape. Before Dragon Girl died, she began to remember what she once told Ha Yi, if a man doesn't want to kiss you, then he doesn't love you. The dragon girl smiled bitterly and asked herself, if a man is willing to kiss you, does he definitely love you?

Sun Wukong finally killed the Dragon Prince, but Ha Yi could never come back. His friend Bull Demon King brought a bowl of Meng Po soup to forget everything...

After experiencing all this, Sun Wukong finally understood the Buddha's teachings: Only when you have experienced obsession can you let go of it; only when you have experienced love and hate can you get rid of love and hate. Sun Wukong voluntarily put on the golden fillet, took the golden staff made of the Dinghai Divine Needle, and began to learn scriptures from Tang Monk from the West. Only occasionally would he think of the afternoon when he pushed Ha Yi away. It turned out that the good times in the past had finally passed, and he had to shoulder his responsibilities. Sun Wukong took on the task of accompanying Tang Monk to obtain the Western Scriptures.

Source: https://movie.douban.com/subject/35033660/

Link: N/A

[its-your-mind]

thinkin bout how orv starts with kim dokja actively working to ensure that kim namwoon dies during the first scenario

thinkin bout how kim namwoon was a teenager at the start of the scenarios, dealing with the apocalypse using the mental paths that came easiest, jumping into the new world with both feet

thinkin bout kim dokja as a teenager. tired. hurt. alone. his internal and external struggles ignored by the adults around him. choosing to throw himself off a rooftop because there wasn’t anything in his life worth living for

thinkin bout how kim dokja woke up again, even though he had planned not to

thinkin bout a teenage boy. lost, alone, broken, scared, angry, in need of someone to come and show him how to keep moving forward

thinkin bout a protagonist in a webnovel who is an example to you of how to survive against all odds. a mantra to repeat when living life as yourself is too hard

thinkin bout a hardened and powerful hero who knows exactly how this world works, who holds out a hand offers you a place with him

thinkin bout teenage kim namwoon, looking to yoo joonghyuk as captain, teacher, and protector

thinkin bout teenage kim dokja, looking to yoo joonghyuk as role-model, hero, and refuge

thinkin bout teenage kim dokja, who saw himself more as kim namwoon than any of yoo joonghyuk’s other companions

thinkin bout adult kim dokja, reclusive and unsocial, hiding his phone from his coworker so she doesn’t see what he’s reading. convinced that yoo joonghyuk would look down on him if he learns who he “really” is. ashamed of any details kimcom learns about his past

thinkin bout what happens to a life when the person living it has never seen in it any redeeming qualities or objects of value. how someone feels about life when they tried and failed to give up that life a decade ago, and every day since has felt almost accidental

thinkin bout the lesser fire dragon. the disaster of floods. the strongest in seoul dome. the devourer of dreams. the 73rd demon king. the industrial complex. the war between good and evil. the wager with secretive plotter.

thinkin bout the most ancient dream. an empty station. a cold and hard bench. bandages and a notebook and a too-loose uniform. smaller than he should be for his age and more broken than any child should ever become. alone.

thinkin bout an unbreakable faith, shattered. a family frantically throwing themselves at their heart to save him from himself. desperate hands prying a blade out of shaking ones, moments before the jagged edge pierced deep into vulnerable flesh

thinkin bout how the younger kim dokja, recently released from the hospital, does not watch. instead, he instinctively curls up to protect the parts of himself already hurting the most. he begins to repeat his mantra

thinkin bout how kim namwoon kicked and fought and screamed and stabbed. and then, when he realized there wasn’t anything he could do, he got down on his knees and begged kim dokja for his life

thinkin bout how kim dokja just stood over him, held him in place, and looked at him in silence as the clock ran out

thinkin bout kim dokja at the beginning of his story and at the end of his story. in a subway. looking down at a teenage boy.

making a choice. the same choice, both times.

the first time: an explosion, a blood splatter on his reflection, and a confused and wary protagonist who has lost one asset and gained another

the last time: arms holding him back, a family hugging him tight, and another protagonist who steps in front of him. holds the child close. forgives him everything. offers up anything more he could need. and kim dokja watches as the person with the strongest claim to vengeance upon this younger facsimile of himself instead gently gathers up the most ancient dream, tucks him close against his chest, and walks away with him safe and sound in his arms.

[jedineedlove]

The Nine-Headed Demon

Titles:

Prince Consort of Jisa, Xiangliu, and The Emissary

I wanted to know more about our villain for season 5 so I looked more into his titles.

Xiangliu:

it came up as, a venomous nine-headed snake monster that brings floods and destruction. Xiangliu may be depicted with his body coiled on itself. The nine heads are arranged differently in different representations. Modern depictions resemble the hydra with each head on a separate neck. Older wood-cuts show the heads clustered on a single neck, either side-by-side or in a stack three high, facing three directions.

But that can't be him sure they bring floods and destruction. But in the show we already see one of these and they have no giant bird form. In Season 4 Episode 4 Pig- Napped

I don't know why he said he was one of these...maybe he's related to one of that just what some people call him on the nine-head thing and he went along with it.

The Emissary title stumped me but it means that he was given or named himself a representative of something or someone. He mentioned being the consort of Jisa and the Wiki thinks it is a kingdom so maybe the Emissary of there but I think more likely with his obsession over it he's the Emissary of Chaos like the Harbinger of Chaos.

But it still got me no closer to him so I started looking at appearances.

I found this...

Jiu Feng:

Nine-headed Bird, also called “Jiu Feng” in Chinese, is a monster in Chinese Mythology. It is a legendary bird with a bird’s body and nine heads with human faces and is regarded as one of the earliest forms of the Chinese phoenix. It was worshiped by ancient natives in Hubei Province.

Pretty much WHAT he is but I went deeper on the WHO he is......

JTTW:

There was a demon with a similar name in the JTTW, I thought there was no way it was him no way it was that simple.....

"The Nine-Headed Beast (九頭蟲), also known as the Nine-Headed Prince Consort (九頭駙馬), is married to Wansheng Dragon King's daughter. He is armed with a Crescent Moon Spade (月牙鏟). He collaborates with his father-in-law to steal the Śarīra from Golden Ray Monastery. Sun Wukong enlists the help of celestial forces to deal with the demons. The Nine-Headed Beast has one of his heads bitten off by Erlang Shen's celestial hound but manages to escape."

It's him who got the description and the sharing consort title. I didn't think it could be because this character had no other link to Wukong than this one-off meeting but then again like I said before LMK is a JTTW fanfic.

In this scene where he mentioned being BOTH Friend and Foe, the Foe part made sense but the FREIND did not. Nor the why Wukong would not remember him in either capacity.

Also, this whole link to Chaos and these powers are out of nowhere for this character so they clearly added a few other things onto him as well.

But then again Wukong only sees him in this form. The Monkey does not get to see

Maybe if he saw him like this it might make him remember but that's just a theory.

Another name I found he is called is the Nine-Headed Bug or Worm listen to this...

(PS to Overly Saractist Production Fans this guy shows up in the Chapter after Bull King so the next episode of JTTW from their youtube channel if they ever get back to it)

"In his humanoid form, the Nine-Headed Bug is a man who has nine faces, and wears armor, holds a Crescent Moon Spade. However, in the 1986 series, he simply has one visible face like a regular person, wears regular purple -

aristocratic clothes, and a crown that consists of nine snake-like heads (hinting at his true form).

The Bug's -

true form is that of a gigantic bird that looks like an eagle, with nine heads, and blood on his back.

His true form is never fully revealed in the 1986 TV series, but a few heads of him hints at how it looks like."

The reason I mention this is because I've noticed this in my Iron Fan Legend, JTTW, and LMK. That the design for some of the characters comes from older media of JTTW like TV shows and movies live action or animated.

Wukong fillet in season 5 has a mix of all of his past media fillets designed with the middle cresting up for the two loops but we get a crest moon shape like in Journey to the West- Legends of the Monkey King (Middle image)

The bullhorn hair from Dream Journey 2: Princess Iron Fan in 2017.

and more.....

So using this description made sense.

I would also like to point out that I saw someone's comment but not sure who the NINE-Headed Demon in his beast form is missing one of his heads, his nine-headed title comes from the extra nine around the main one the main face does not count and they are right there are only eight of the small ones but go back up to the first quote where I mentioned Erlang's dog bit off one of those heads so it makes sense. If anything it might tell us THAT fight did go down just not the way in the book.

Good Puppy. :)

Hope you all enjoyed..

[bloop-bl00p]

Demonic forms are just disappointing

Do y’all remember how hyped the full demonic form of each character was?

This is Stolas

When you see this you think stupid ass bird but hatred aside the reveal of his full power was amazing.

Corpses slowly rose from the dead to trace his sigils with their blood, his shadow looming over the head of Agent 1 as he took control of her body and then you see this...

That scene was peak, I personally think he should have killed the agent for a more spooky factor but plot armor was protecting them.

So technically the higher should look even more scarier since they have much more power? Right?

Instead look like themselves but bigger 😃

I mean it’s fine, they got a few colors, features, and eyes added, and… that’s all.

I need my horrifying borderline traumatizing factor especially when it comes to big hellish figures. It’s not like you cannot base yourself on their original appearance, granted Mammom is a little complicated since normally he’s just an old man but still.

I like sharing my ideas, so imagine Beelzebub first looked like a nice jovial Bee Fox like Viv wanted and slowly turned into this giant disgusting fly with sounds of flesh tearing itself apart and bones cracking to eat someone. Slowly looking more like this…

That would have been gold.

But what I cannot accept is the butchering of Lucifer and Charlie.

How do you fail so badly with someone described as a literal dragon with 7 heads? Charlie is by definition a Nephilim those are giants the same beings that were one of the reasons Gods flooded the Earth in the first place.

There she just has horns and she can make people explode in fireworks... That’s kinda funny actually.

Also, you’re telling me that Lucifer, a former Seraphim, Kings of Hell, and his daughter cannot reach the size of the hotel at their full potential? Even Alastor gets the “Big Boie” treatment why can’t they when they’re supposedly more powerful than everyone in Hell?

[ryin-silverfish]

Headcanon: Dragons of the Four Seas

(inspired by a recent discussion with @the-monkey-ruler)

-Although Chinese dragons are water deities, there are dragons who control stuff other than water: Cold Dragons under the Dragon King of the North can freeze stuff, and Bailong Ma used to be a Fire Dragon in pre-novel variants of JTTW.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if the four major lineage of dragons all have their unique side-power, apart from water and weather manipulation?"

-It starts off as this, then spins out of control and becomes one giant worldbuilding exercise.

East Sea:

-The eastern direction is traditionally associated with the Wood element. However, I feel like plant manipulation will be too obvious.

-So instead, they are the master of Thunder and Wind——the trigrams that represent these two things, Zhen and Xun, are both Wood-aligned.

-Their lightning has a notable azure hue, and have adapted the force of Thunder specifically for underwater usage, creating highly potent sonic blasts as well as what basically amount to a sonar spell.

-They kinda consider themselves the archetypal dragon, representative of their kind, and certainly have the attitude to match.

-Like, they claim to be descended from the Azure Dragon of the East, even though the idea that a Divine Beast of the Four Directions, stellar guardian of the entire eastern section of the sky, can reproduce is...dubious at best.

-Don't you mention the time Ao Guang got bullied by Wukong. Or Nezha. Or Huaguang. Or the Eight Immortals. They are very touchy about that. Violently touchy.

-They also have close relations with water-dwelling Yakshas, who act as a sort of elite mercenaries in their military campaigns against other seaborn demons and rogue flood dragons.

-Basically, the proud generals of dragonkind, with a vast weapon collection to match. The dragon king's family also name their kids after Celestial Stems and Earthly Branches, much like the ancient Shang dynasty rulers.

-The East Sea dragons are the only lineage who has an official representative of the Celestial Host stationed in their territory, who's only known by his title, the "Water-dividing General of the East Sea".

-He seems to be an older sort of god, the half-man, half-beast ones who look like they walk out of an illustration of the Book of Mountains and Seas.

-Most of the time, he takes the form of a seal, lounging around on rocks and watching sunrises, and has the personality of a sarcastic old man.

-Whether he's here to keep an eye on them, or they are supposed to keep an eye on him, no one can say. Ao Guang certainly treats him like an old acquaintance, though.

West Sea:

-They are a bit tricky. West is associated with Metal, and the two Metal-aligned trigrams, Qian and Dui, represent Heaven and Marsh...which don't neatly map onto weather and natural phenomena.

-Then I had an idea. What if they have a natural affinity for heavenly bodies? In ancient times, the movements of stars are believed to affect weather, after all, not to mention the sun and the moon.

-This affinity can be figurative——their lineage has a strong relationship with the stellar deities of the 28 Lunar Mansion and Dipper Mansion——or literal.

-Like a natural talent for divination and astrology, predicting the future from the patterns of stars. They are no governors of fate, unlike the actual Star Lords, they are just fate's weather forecast guy.

-This puts them in an awkward position, though: the stellar gods act according to the Jade Emperor's orders, some of which are very much secret and beyond their clearance levels, but the best scions of the West Sea can just infer it from the movement of stars alone.

-Which makes them obsessed with proving their loyalty, as well as enforcing a draconian standard of secrecy, just so they wouldn't get into trouble for knowing something they weren't supposed to know.

-Even more rarely, they can harness the power of astral light. Most of the time, such light is of lunar nature——Star Lord Taiyin also holds sway over the ocean's tides, though it is an easily forgotten power.

-But sometimes, that light comes from a fiery, lively, or ominous star, and the power that results is just as temperamental as their stellar origins.

-Enters Ao Lie, Third Prince of the West Sea, who has highly potent fire powers despite not being a South Sea dragon, and became the subject of some rather tasteless gossips about his parentage the moment it awakened.

-All dragons love their pearls: it's kinda like an ordinary yaoguai's "inner core", an orb of solidified Qi that can be spit out and store separately from the body, but much more powerful and culturally significant.

-Well, the West Sea dragons use their pearls in the same way a Feng Shui master uses their geomantic compass, or a Zhou Yi diviner, their turtle shell and copper coins. The ones left behind by venerable ancestors are especially treasured, believed to lead to clearer insights and more reliable readings.

-Through that lens, Ao Lie's burning of one such pearl is the equivalent of descrating the dead + destroying a priceless, irreplacable supercomputer.

-Intentional or not, to a lineage that is so serious about their discipline, taboos, and absolute loyalty to the Celestial Host, it is enough to warrant death.

-To no one's surprise, they are the diplomats, the inter-department coordinators when it comes to weatherly business. Not just between relevant celestial bureaus like the Thunder and Water Bureaus, but also between local dragon kings of rivers and lakes.

-As a result, the West Sea lineage is the most open to marrying non-oceanic dragons, even though these are often out of practical and political needs.

-That's my explanation for why, in JTTW, Ao Run's nine nephews either guard rivers or work for JE/the Buddha. The West Sea lineage has really turned nepotism into an art form.

North Sea:

-In JTTW, we know that they have Cold Dragons that can chill stuff. It is certainly not too much of a stretch to imagine them as the ice-and-snow specialists, the ones you summon when you are sick of the heat or need to insta-freeze something.

-Historically, the "North Sea" in Chinese texts refer to Lake Baikal. However, I think it is cooler if their palace is literally in the arctic zone, under the ice caps.

-Instead of garden-variety shrimp and crab soldiers, they have lots of cultivated marine mammals. And elite legions of belugas and narwhals and bowhead whales.

-The smallest and most isolationist lineage also carries the grimest duty, as border patrols and prison wardens. Not only is the North Sea a hotspot of rifts that lead to the Underworld, it also conceals the portal to the Evil-Vanquishing Mansion of the North Pole——realm of Emperor Zhenwu, Lord of the North.

-Kind of like the Lord Father of the East and Queen Mother of the West, he is the sovereign of the northern direction and the Water element, as well as the direct superior of Xuanwu, one of the Four Divine Beasts.

-And his job? Subduing demons. The Evil-Vanquishing Mansion is basically a fleet of giant, hollowed-out icebergs, packed to the brim with powerful demons, ghosts, and rogue immortals.

-Any prisoners that make an unlikely escape will emerge into the North Sea, where the vigilant army of the dragon king awaits. However, that is not their main duty; it is the Eye of the North Sea that they swear to eternally guard.

-And the prisoner of the Eye is none other than Shen Gongbao, the infamous traitor of the Chan Sect who was behind most major conflicts in the War of Investiture.

-It was said that, though his body was stuffed into the Eye of the North Sea as punishment, in the end, his soul still gets deified as a minor water god.

-However, if there is only a mindless body left in there, why the need for such heavy security? Only the most experienced elders and veterans are allowed to go into the Eye's vicinity to check on Yuanshi Tianzun's seals, and repeated visit by the same people is strictly prohibited.

-Perhaps, instead of a split of soul and body, deification has split the soul itself: one half is exorcised of all the undesirable qualities, the other left to stew and simmer in them until it mutates into something unrecognizable.

-Such is the rumor among the North Sea's younger scions. But folks will make up anything to pass the time in those long, cold arctic nights, and whatever the truth is, it doesn't matter, as long as the seal still holds.

South Sea:

-Their element, Fire, is directly opposite to the North Sea's; much like the Cold Dragons, the Fire Dragons of the South Sea are heat specialists, creators of droughts and wildfires as well as bringers of warm winds.

-And their fire is a peculiar variant of Earthly Fire. Unlike Heavenly Fires, which draw from the blaze of the Three-legged Sun Crow, or the True Fires immortals used in internal alchemy, Fire Dragons channel the power of earth's flaming veins: that is, undersea volcanos and thermal vents.

-Though they usually display their power in less flashy ways——steam clouds, a playful whiff of sulfur, a blast of warm wind on a winter night, a Fire Dragon fully on the offensive is just like a mini live volcano, unleashing streams of magma and scalding smoke clouds.

-When dragons are mentioned as one of the Eight Classes of Demigods in Buddhism, more often than not, they are from the South Sea lineage.

-Like, the most popular Bodhisattva in Asia, Guanyin, resides in the South Sea. It's all but granted that the local dragons would also be heavily influenced by Buddhist teachings, in the same way their northern kins are drawn to the entourage of Zhenwu.

-Fun fact: the imagery of dragons has appeared in Chinese art since the Neolithic period, but the specific worship of dragons as gods of the Four Seas is a result of Buddhist influence.

-Prior to that, the gods of the Four Seas in the Book of Mountains and Seas are all beasts with human faces, wearing snakes as earrings or standing on a snake.

-And in Sui-Tang era works, some variants merged the Four Seas gods with the Four Directions gods of ancient times, and said that the god of the South Sea was Zhurong.

-A.k.a. the fire god that defeated Gonggong (in the most well-known version of the tale), who, being the sore loser he is, went and knocked over the sky support pillar with his head. Thus, Nvwa's patching of the sky.

-Legends of the South Sea lineage claim that the Fire Dragons draw their power from Zhurong's embers, and their king is descended from the two dragon mounts of the primodial fire god.

-To the outrage of more traditionalist dragons, they often intermarry with Nagas, the serpentine water gods of the Western Lands. Guanyin's dragon girl attendant is born of one such union, between the Naga lord Sagara and a princess of the South Sea.

-Their palace is located inside an underwater volcano, said to be the remnant of Zhurong's great forge. Giant tube worm gardening is a popular hobby among the South Sea nobility; however peculiar it may appear to outsiders, these colorful creatures thrive in the union of Fire and Water, much like the lineage itself.

(Pictures of the Four Dragon Kings come from Nezha 1979.)

(The animated film makes the dragon king of the West a black dragon, and the North, a white one, a reversal of the colors traditionally associated with the two directions——West = White, North = Black.）

[sun-of-4-gun]

Stick, The Monkey King's Plot Device: An Analysis

a matter of Free Will, Creativity, Control, Ownership, Choice, and Consent of an animated inanimate character

aka chronological notes of what happens in the movie with interpretative thoughts

for 5,000 years, stick only ever stood in one place in silence

the crystal palace was either; built around him, or he was left there tho it's hard to believe the center pillar of dragon king's home just has a spot reserved for him. I believe it's the former however it was, he never had a choice

dragon had stick stuck in a machine that will force and use him and his power to create a storm and flood, which is the opposite of what his original purpose was that got him down there to begin with thousands of years ago. an overglorified water meter

monkey was in search of the ultimate weapon, but stick said the first word. he's been waiting and immediately calls him "the most powerful being". this is promptly followed by being complimented not once, but twice from the guy he just met (ie "you are incredible") it is important to note monkey had never any positive assurance in his entire life, yet he says these things to stick, he makes this about stick, rather than himself

stick jumps into action and carries the battle, but he prioritises monkey's safety

he is a go-getter, taking the lead to take his new friend forward. he is a driving force that enables monkey to do what he does. he is excitable, violent, eager to please. stick has never been used in so long, he has a lot of pent up energy just bursting to get out. he protects monkey, but he is obedient to the point of losing his self by taking things literally. this should teach monkey how he works, that he is dependent on his wielder, his master, and that's why he couldn't have left the palace or dragon himself. he is a tool, who's entire existence is in the hands of whoever possesses him. he wants to be used and be useful. he wants to serve a purpose

monkey tells stick what to do, he listens, monkey tells stick to stop, he does so. and stick will do the best possible thing for them to show monkey what they are capable of together, giving him the confidence to trust his weapon as much as stick's chosen to trust him, that no matter what happens as long they communication, they will have each other's back

stick shares monkey's joys and sorrows. he cheers along the troop for his new name and groans when it seemed monkey got sad. they share excitement and aggressive tendencies too

they are more like a single entity with two equal parts rather than a pair, but it's not wrong to call them that either. mind & body, heart & soul, in action they are one, as people they are two, but must be kept together in order to work perfectly. stick is an extension of monkey, and monkey is an extension of stick. they match each others freak save for minor differences in preference and personality. when not in use, stick stands on his own, he reacts similarly as monkey, turns to him, and provides emphasis for the occasional words. he is completely supportive and always by his side if only a foot apart or at arms length, never out of reach

monkey is the same in the way that he values stick's own desires that are seemingly separate from himself. he is considerate of his weapon's wants despite having no impact or benefit to his own except maybe boost his ego. they share an ambition, yet something so minor like playing the guitar is so important to him because it's something stick wants. he didn't even ask if stick wanted anything, he already has him in mind, it was a matter of what and absolute that he gets it

the theme song is sung by stick's voice actor, the singer "ultimate screaming master" aka nan li from voodoo kungfu, an outstanding "world heavy metal music" band. so you could say stick wrote and sang a song about monkey throughout their 99 demons together. I know the lyrics are from monkey himself, the words are his, stick is the music, together they create harmony

stick is bloodthirsty, and he is an artist. both actions are forms of self-expression after lying dormant for millenniums. the same can be said for monkey in that he created an imaginary family, paired with his and stick's signature head-bashing, skull-splitting move, except he does this in sought of attention for being deprived of it his entire childhood, stick has always been the center of, yet was never heard, and the only thought he wants and cares about is from monkey

it was his idea the way they defeat red girl, unpromptly suggested

stick left his "home", because he finally could. he was stolen from dragon, who housed him. he was found by monkey, who allows him to be. stick can't be on his own without his wielder's permission and even then they're in close proximity of each other. monkey allows for stick's autonomy and will to be as free as he can be. he treats stick like a person more than the actual people he interacts with, while dragon still treats stick as property even after discovering he could talk. he doesn't care that stick has feelings, he only wants to abuse his power

Monkey: “What's wrong, Stick? You know this chump?”

Dragon: “Stick? You never talked to me!”

when dragon showed up, this is the only time stick vocalised in a way that it aggravated monkey enough to close his ears. stick doesn't get to say anything else, and he doesn't have to because no one but monkey listens to him, he doesn't need an explanation to come to his friend's defence. the same way stick is in-between the demons and monkey, this time monkey is shielding stick from dragon. a former roommate, acts like a controlling parent or possessive ex

Monkey, to Dragon: “You love my Stick, everyone loves the stick, but no one appreciates Stick like I do.”

Stick: “[incessant urgent warbling]”

Monkey: “Quiet Stick, the grown-ups are talking.”

of course monkey isn't perfect either, in the heat of the moment he ignores stick to protect him, and stick never holds a grudge or resentment towards monkey for his blunders, only dragon was met with initial hostility, but then none at all for the rest of the movie. stick is never really even annoyed with his partner, it just seems like he loves everything about him and wants the best for him, because that would mean what's best for himself too

dragon tries to talk to stick to come back, but monkey says he only listens to him. dragon responds with "I don't see a ring on it, honey" which is from the euphemism for a marriage proposal. dragon clearly doesn't approve of their relationship though this implies that in order for them to be together, they need to be wedded

without monkey, stick doesn't have a will. without a person, he is useless. he has no life, no will to life. it's meaningless without monkey, who he's waited for forever

he laughs at his jokes, they share a sense of humour

stick knows about hell. he knows about the scrolls of life and death

he could not have learned this during the 100 demons slaying because monkey would have known. the reason why stick never mentioned "crossing your name to cancel your death in order to become immortal" is that monkey was under the impression he would win the immortal ones' approval by conquering demons like the elder lead them to believe. why stick never corrected him, this wasn't the mission. stick is at his service, not looking specifically for the most efficient way to do things. he is able to have fun and live his best life with monkey and if the adventure ends, what is there left to do? he wouldn't want to be abandoned again. so he answers monkey's questions because monkey asked, not because stick has an obligation to be conscious or aware of how things play out, but because he's literal and needs to be direct with. whatever it is, he will enable monkey's desires, because what he wants, they both do

they argue about bringing lin along, in which stick advocates for her and scolds monkey because he knows her worth and neither of them can read. if monkey completely owns stick, why would he allow him to knock some sense into himself and fight about something like this? does stick actually have free will to be independent and has merely been sassily playing with monkey and dragons feelings because he enjoys the attention of those two competing for him, or does monkey allow stick to be his own person without the restraint of pleasing his ego in that he is cared for even if he doesn't like it because he subconsciously understands he can't do everything on his own and needs stick to be his conscience too, for both their sakes

their expressions often mirror each other, the way they move even apart is in sync, and they exchange glances, like you do with your best friend

stick also knows about cloning, which he also never told monkey that he knows they can both apparently do. the situation called for it so it's pretty reasonable, but why does stick know more about monkey's abilities than he himself does?

steroids, another song by voodoo kungfu, is used during the fight

although apparently stick didn't know enough as "cancelling your death date" only makes you half-immortal, but monkey immediately blames lin despite it being entirely stick's idea

stick is already immortal, he's an eternal object and looks good for above 5,000 years old. he just needs to keep his friend, who he's known for at least a couple years, alive. least he becomes alone again

stick finds monkey's prank on lin hilarious, monkey makes him laugh

stick sings along with monkey while they search for lin, he yells at her after too

monkey considers stick his best friend and family

stick doesn't care to say anything during the entire peach grove scene. not about benbo & babbo, not about dragon, even though he was used to jab at him. monkey is drugged, therefore his mind isn't intact, which seemingly affects stick's behaviour as well in that he isn't very conscious. they both get knocked ou

he jolts awake after monkey does

stick is empathetic, monkey is apathetic. there is a little bit of the other to them in a yin-yang sense, because stick only empathises with monkey, and maybe lin twice on-screen, while monkey has no consideration for anyone but himself, stick, and eventually lin to an extent. they only care for each other, as stick isn't concerned about anyone else, but monkey does in a way. both for selfish reasons

stick cannot be wielded by a baby monkey, he goes to sleep

monkey tells stick to help lin, he shrinks down for her to use

he sleeps again when monkey is kicked through the roof

despite being unconscious, stick extends himself towards monkey to give the elixir

stick is just as excited as monkey is, if not more, and is ready to fight, but when lin falls, he got worried for her too

lin teases monkey, talking to stick, and he laughs with her. he isn't above laughing at his friend's expense and with someone other than him no less, someone monkey handed him over to in the moment. he was trusted with to assist her and wasn't even aware of lin's attempt to steal him away. if monkey was a controlling master and stick the obedient weapon that he is, how is it that he's able to freely make fun of his own best friend? monkey shuts him up, and he complies, but the fact is while he is always supportive of monkey, he is capable of poking fun at and arguing with him too, usually provoked

stick is left alone with lin again, and is promptly sold out

"momentary fling" sir this is a family movie

stick is inactive throughout his entire hold in dragon's clutches. he is nothing but a prize to be won, a tool to be abused. monkey may need him in every battle to win, but stick has been a damsel-in-distress twice. he is handled by dragon, forced back into a machine that awakens and makes him grow. none of this he chose, none he wanted, he can't leave without help. while he is fulfilling a purpose, he isn't doing this out of his own will. he doesn't choose dragon and doesn't consent to being used this way, but it doesn't matter because dragon doesn't need his compliance, as long the machine works and he's useful

they are so happy to see each other, and missed one another so much,,,

stick is devoted to monkey. he enables him, needs him for his entire being and existence. if it were to be anyone in the universe he will always choose monkey. caught in the middle of the final battle, despite the brief grasp dragon has on him, he is able to fight for his self because monkey is there for him to return to and fall back on. to live in utter depravity under someone who only takes from and forces you into doing his bidding, it's not living at all. monkey gives him a life, stick lives for him and gets to be himself because he's allowed to be as much of a person any object is capable of

monkey is incredibly significant to stick. he is his entire world, and the same goes for him to monkey

they're separated again, the last thing he heard was monkey's desperate cry of his name after he couldn't handle buddha's clutch

lin found stick, either by chance or he called out to her. and he shrank for her once more so she could easily reunite him with his monkey. he doesn't even know she's the one who gave him away, but I don't think he'd hold it against her. he's a staff, not human or demon with complex thoughts and feelings. a simple stick who has a colourful personality, vibrant soul, and passion for music

he flies right into monkey's hold thanks to lin

monkey is stick's home, he is his best friend, his family, his life. they are symbiotic and co-dependent, for breaking them apart would leave them wrecked on their own, one completely helpless and the other out of his mind. there is a fear of abandonment within stick and separation anxiety in monkey, but only one of them has the ability to do something about it, and monkey allows for stick to be unbound by his own ego. they're a team, each others comfort

they meditate together, being one with each other, and stick is just as important as monkey because "the world needs us"

to summarise; stick is a deeply emotional, straight-forward, fun-loving, whimsical, thrill-seeking sentient weapon who's been deprived of activity for thousands of years, which affected the way he expresses himself through bloodthirsty violence and screaming, but he does have an ambition to learn and play the guitar, already being a singer himself. it is a creative outlet for him to release all that pent up energy when he lay dormant, and is allowed the freedom to live a life he wants alongside the one person who values and loves him for who he is

in conclusion... they are both crazy, and stick likes that about monkey

[tyrantisterror]

Some stuff I learned at the Medieval Studies Congress today that will be of interest/use for Midgaheim:

There's a passage of Beowulf that, in the original old English, lists Grendel's kin/fellow descendents of Cain (the biblical first murderer). Two are easily translated to modern English: elves and giants (specifically "gigantes," one of the few times the poem uses a latin word rather than an Old English word, which probably specifically implies these are Biblical giants/nephilim like Goliath). The other two words are hard to parse because they have no modern English equivalent, and different translations use different words to try to give the same flavor. One is translated roughly as phantoms, undead, revenants, draugr, goblins, evil spirits, or demons, while the other is translated as trolls or ogres. However, both of those words mean something different than those equivalents - in the second term's case, it specifically means Jotunn, i.e. frost giants. And that's especially important for two reasons: 1, Grendel is referred to as being most closely related to that term, sometimes outright being called a Jotunn, and 2, Jotunn are VERY different than giants/ogres mythologically speaking, and the Beowulf poet would have known that. Troll is probably the best fit of all modern English monster words, since trolls were synonymous with Jotunns (and most other monsters) early in the history of Germanic languages, but the word Troll now means its own specific thing, so it's still not a good fit, and as the speaker surmised, it's probably best just to translate Jotunn… as Jotunn.

On a related note, the word "Ettin" is derived from Jotunn, so at some point I should make Midgaheim Ettins some sort of sister clade of ogres to Jotunns.

Beowulf says that giants were "wiped out in the flood," and because it specifically uses the Latin word "gigante," it's likely this is a reference to the death of the nephilim in Biblical apocrypha. BUT! Given how "Jotunn" is used often in the poem, it could alternatively refer to the flood of Ymir's blood in Norse mythology that ALSO wiped out a population of giants. OR! it could refer to BOTH, which would be an explicit instance of the poem trying to fit Norse myth and Christian apocrypha into one united mythos. It is possible the Beowulf poet may have been trying the same heretical bullshit I've been doing in Midgaheim.

A prominent theme in Norse myth was people who act monstrously turning into monsters as a result, and it's possibel that the word "Jotunn" may be rooted in the Germanic word for Gluttony, since early descriptions of Jotunns describe them as cannibals/maneaters whose voracious appetites are particularly destructive - a trait that they share with folkloric ogres across Europe.

Dragons, especially in Norse myth, have some psychopomp connotations, particularly with regards to the word "wyrm," which has always had an intended double meaning to include both serpents/reptiles and vermin/invertebrates. A wyrm is both viper and maggot, snake and worm, with the connective trait that unites all things under the category being its ability to inspire a primal fear. The Beowulf dragon specifically has connotations with Death and Rot, living in an ancient grave and ending the life of the near-unkillable hero of the poem. Nidhoggr also fills this role, as do his fellow root-chewer dragons who torment the particularly dishonorable dead in Norse Hel.

Gawain and Lancelot were disaster bisexuals. It is also probably arguable that most if not all of the knights of the round table are disaster bisexuals, but Gawain and Lancelot definitely are.

At least one incarnation of King Arthur kinda blatantly desired to be a throuple with Gwenevere and Lancelot, which would have solved so many problems. Like, he was aware both Lancelot and Gwenevere were more functional when they could fuck, and he loved them both dearly so come on, let them be a throuple.

There's a good argument that many, if not all versions of Mordred could have been gay.

One Gawain story has him accidentally kill a woman while getting into a fight with a knight over a dead white stag, and Gwenevere tells Gawain that from this day on he has to take a solemn vow to ALWAYS respect and protect women. Or, to sum up:

Lanval was a sub and that's why the fairy maiden asked him to visit her. Their dynamic also subverts a lot of medieval expectations of masculinity and feminity in Marie de France's version of the story, which subsequent authors tried to "fix" in later retellings - a big example is how in Marie's version, the Fairy Maiden steers the horse that rescues Lanval, while in subsequent retellings Lanval gets to steer despite the Fairy Maiden being the one who came to the rescue. Marie's version has both of them take on masculine and feminine roles, serving and protecting each other in turn, and seems to have this message that a good relationship should be an equal partnership where both sides shoulder each other's burdens while also caring for themselves. Marie de France continues to be my favorite medieval writer.

There was a lot of argument and theorizing about the nature of souls as incorporeal things that still can feel pain, with a lot of Christians arguing about what pain means to a spirit without a body, and how exactly hellfire can hurt a soul without a body. Dante kinds put the final word on it by drawing on the fact that angels and demons, who are beings of soul without corporeal forms, can create corporeal representations of themselves from air, smoke, fire, and light - damned souls are given substance, and thus pain, by Hellfire that wraps around their bodies, with one passage of inferno describing how the fire surrounding Ulysses curls at one point "almost like a tongue" to allow him to speak. The fire is also something that, depending on how you translate the poem, may be self inflicted - summoned by the sinner, or at least manifesting as result of their sins and faults, which goes with the theme of Dante's Hell where all the punishments are self inflicted/reinforced by the sinners themselves.

There's a medieval French poem about an island called Cokaygne (pronounced "Cocaine," no I'm serious I'm not shitting you it's called Cocaine) where the houses are made of crepes/pancakes, the rivers are made of sweet milk, food is plentiful, the weather is never bad, predators and disease are nonexistent, and the only people who live there are monks and nuns who spend all their time eating, resting, and engaging in kinky and satisfying sex. The poem is a satire of other stories of the time that attempted to describe Heaven, and explicitly says Cokaygne (Cocaine) is better than Heaven, because all you have to do in Heaven is look at clouds and grass, while in Cokaygne (Cocaine) you get to fuck nuns in your pancake house. To get to Cokaygne (Cocaine) you have to sit up to your neck in pigshit for seven years straight. It kinda reminded me of that hobo folk song "The Big Rock Candy Mountain."

Finally (for today), there's a Medieval story that's based on the story of the Buddha that fucks up the concept of "letting go of attachments" when trying to adapt it to fit a medieval french worldview, turning the concept from "free yourself from your desires" to "listen you shouldn't care about material wealth because the wealth you'll get in the spiritual world of Heaven will be WAY better, you get jewels and a throne and stuff it's sick dude," which proves white people have been fucking that concept up in stupid ways for centuries.

[icekingofhope]

wanna know something I kinda hope for aleast the next season of Monkie kid

That they include the character the flood king who is flood king well he was also a sworn brother of sun wukong it said his full name in jttw is

The Flood Dragon (Salamander) Demon King

and from what I know right now there is barely much info of him

(also yes wukong was sworn brothers with a dragon as it seems)

you may assume he may never be a character but I disagree cause of this bit here

There is a extra chair no one is using

I can only assume it’s flood kings chair but my question is where has he gone? Where is he then it started to get more confusing

The next few shots his chair is gone like it didn’t exist this could be a error but I don’t think so i think it’s important and I hope we see him soon it would be so cool to see the flood king

[ghostlee]

you know what? I will do it again.

while I know lmk is not entirely accurate to jttw, it crosses with the actual story enough to where I can say that…man, nezha really deserves tickles in an affectionate and happy way-

like the man is immediately born with his father thinking he’s a demon (though, in Li Jing’s defense, nezha was born as a flesh ball and already knew how to walk and talk), saves his friend from being eaten by a sea dragon, killed himself at 12 years old so that the sea dragon didn’t flood his town, got his temple of honor burned down by Li Jing for petty reasons, got revived from lotus roots…the list goes on, and essentially ends with this man never actually getting a happy ending-

anyways, he desperately needs to feel child-like joy again because this man has so much trauma packed into his little brain, and he just needs to laugh happily for once in his now-immortal life :(

YESSSS OMG HE ACTUALLY JUST GENUINELY NEEDS SOMEONE TO TICKLE THE HECC OUTTA HIMMMM.

This man fr has so much on his mind constantly and some tickles just to make him throw his head back and laugh away as he doesn’t give a single other care would be so good for him omg.

I could totally see a scene where Wukong feels kinda bad for stressing Nezha out with things and he goes to have a talk with the man and Nezha is a bit standoffish at first like “what could you possibly hope to achieve in talking to me about this now. Do you even know how much stress you brought upon me? We’re you hoping I’d forgive you for this all?” And Wukong can see some tears in Nezhas eyes as the lotus prince turns his head away. He’s angry but in all honesty probably wants to have a good friendship with Wukong.

Wukong reaches a hand out and carefully puts it on Nezhas shoulder, they have a long talk about it all and near the end of the serious conversation Wukong says something kinda dumb and hears Nezha laugh quietly at him and gets feigned offended as he looks at Nezha like “and what are you laughing at??” Wukong would ask him and Nezha would hold his hand up to his face and look away as he smiles. “Nothing.” Nezha says through a small smile.

Wukong would then jab Nezha in the side quick and say to him “here I’ll give you something to really laugh at.” And watch at the lotus prince jumps and quickly reaches down to his side with his hands to protect himself as he looks at Wukong with wide eyes.

He would be all like “don’t you dare Wukong.” And he can see the monkey kings tail start swishing back and fourth as he wiggles his fingers at Nezha.

Nezha quickly jumps up and goes to make a run for it. Wukong goes after him and is like “wow you are a lot faster then I remember.” But manages to catch up and pounce on Nezha. Que the scribbling his fingers into the man’s sides and hearing him let out a loud and uncontrollable scream of laughter as he starts struggling to get away. Wukong just poking and prodding and squeezing all over Nezhas sides before he flips him onto his back and pushes up his shirt and in one fluid go blows a big raspberry right down onto the middle of Nezhas tummy.

Nezha just absolutely convulses and yelps with laughter as he tries to push Wukongs head away all while laughing up a storm.

Oh that was so good for me ty for talking with me about it always feel free to come back so I can yap more about it 😤

[quitealotofsodapop]

Of the Brotherhood I feel that Wukong and Macaque were the youngest members with DBK being not much older than them. Azure probably was older than DBK but still considered young, same as Peng, and Yellow Tusk very much feels like the eldest of the group but I'm not sure if he'd be considered a full fledged adult by then. At most Azure, Peng, and Tusk would be in the demon equivalent of mid 20s while DBK feels like someone who is 20 year old with Wukong and Macaque at most being between 16 and 18 by demon standards. Those are jsut the vibes I'm getting from the flashbacks

Peng is probably the oldest since the character that they're based on is literally the Buddha's peacock-uncle (long story). Followed by Azure and Yellowtusk being the steads of Bodhisattvas Manjushri and Samantabhadra respectively. Manjushri is described as the oldest of the Bodhisattvas, so Azure is next eldest.

Demon Bull King is about mid, say a freshman college student-age.

And ofc the two Stone Monkeys; Sun Wukong and the Six Eared Macaque - who might as well be too young to drink or drive by demon standards when the Celestial War happened.

Flood Dragon King and the Tamarin King don't appear in the LMK show, so it's hard to determine their age. But I read somewhere that the Flood Dragon King is meant to be the illegitimate son of the Dragon King of the South Sea + a snake demon, so he could be older.

[the-monkey-ruler]

The Monkey King (2022) 齐天大圣

Director: Jiang Xiaotong Screenwriter: Wei Xiuliang / Wu Yiwen Starring: Xie Miao / Xu Dongdong / Chen Yitong / An Junqi / Zhao Yuntian / Zhao Donghao / Guo Bidong Genre: Fantasy / Costume Country/Region of Production: Mainland China Language: Mandarin Chinese Date: 2022-05-07 (Mainland China) Duration: 81 minutes Also known as: 普通话 IMDb: tt33014444 Type: Retelling

Summary:

The film tells the story of Sun Wukong escaping from the Five Fingers Mountain and bringing his oppressed demon brothers to make trouble in the Heavenly Palace again. 400 years ago, the Monkey King (played by Xie Miao) led the demon world to attack the Heavenly Palace, and played tricks on the immortals. Later, he was subdued by Tathagata and suppressed under the Five Fingers Mountain, and a generation of demon kings fell. In the following four hundred years, the demon world was suppressed by the immortal world and never recovered. 400 years later, although Sun Wukong escaped from the Five Fingers Mountain with the help of a passing little girl Ayi (played by Chen Yitong), he was no longer glorious. He was despised by his former brothers and gradually lost himself in suffering everywhere.

"The Monkey King" revolves around Sun Wukong's self-sacrifice and self-redemption. It is full of ignition points and deals with profound life issues in a comedic way, making the audience laugh with tears. This time, the film is based on Nantianmen and Xiniu Hezhou. Many classic characters from Journey to the West will appear in full. The passionate confrontation and tear-jerking scenes will bring the audience the most unique visual enjoyment.

Source: https://mov-20.chinesemov.com/2022/The-Monkey-King

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yA5mwPDZMyY

[phantom-playdough]

Red Son x GN!Reader: Happy Birthday!

My 20th birthday has passed and I wanted to celebrate with a fanfic. I promise I will work on the small list of requests I have piling up, but this red baby needed a fanfic. I guess this is my [very late] birthday gift…?

IF THERE ARE ANY PRONOUNS THAT ARE NOT GN FOR READER, LET ME KNOW AND I WILL FIX IT ASAP.

Red Son was sat at her desk with about a dozen crumbled up and/or torn up pieces of paper that were filled with scribbles flooding every surface around her.

She was trying to prepare for her significant other's birthday. However, the task of coming up with something to give Y/n was proving to be more difficult than Red Son accounted for.

After around two hours, Red Son decided to take a small nap...okay that's a lie. What actually happened is that Red Son passed out on her desk mid-scribble on her papers.

~~~~

"Red Son?" She just about shot up fin her seat, at first thinking that it was Y/n beside her. However, it luckily just appeared to be her father, DBK.

"F-father!? What are you doing in here? I-it's still early in the morning!" Red Son said, clearly confused as her father was FAR from a morning person.

At this, The Demon Bull King blinked once or twice. He clearly was confused as well. "Red Son, I came down here to tell you that it was time for dinner."

...

Silence for a beat or two.

After a moment or two of quiet, Red Son groaned loudly and face-planted onto her desk.

DBK felt a sweat drop, feeling around ten times more concerned for his hot-headed child.

"Nothing is GOOD ENOUGH!!" Red Son yelled, her hair igniting into flames.

Not sure of what to do, DBK patted Red Son's shoulder gently. "Uh, there there...?" He said, uncertainty leaking from every syllable.

Despite the crappy way to try and comfort someone, Red Son somehow felt it start to help as she slowly relaxed. This could be guessed because her flaming hair calmed itself, as well as how she peeled her face off of the table and her expression was just glum instead of full of rage, like before.

"Red Son, what is troubling you?" DBK asked, the effort he was making was strong and commendable despite how poorly it could be seen as.

Red Son sighed lightly. "Y/n's birthday is coming up in four days and I...I just CAN'T think of what a good gift for them could be! I swear this is more impossible than scheming to taking over the city!!"

DBK could empathize. "Well, Red Son, maybe you should stop trying to figure it out on your own and ask your mother for help. Or perhaps you could ask the noodle-boy and dragon-girl for advice." DBK chuckled. "I am afraid I will not be able to help much, though."

"Huh, why not?"

"I once gave your mother asparagus for our anniversary. I...am not sure I could help you if I wanted to." DBK explained, a little embarrassed at having to admit a blunder like that to Red Son. DBK patted her shoulder again.

"But, whatever you decide to give Y/n, make sure you put your heart into it." DBK then turned and left, leaving Red Son with her thoughts.

"Put your heart into it..." Red Son mumbled. She wrote those words down before deciding to ask around.

~~~~

Well, Red Son had asked everyone, and I mean EVERYONE she knew, about what to get Y/n. Some of the advice was good. Macaque mentioned to get them something that will always make them think of Red Son. Tang and Ne zha both said to get them something personal, but useful.

Some of the other advice Red Son received was not as constructive. Like, how Wukong had suggested a gift that would not and SHOULD not be said in front of a room full of children. MK and Mei were really random with their gift ideas, but almost everyone said something similar at the end of the day:

"Put your heart into it."

These words swirled around in Red Son's fiery head so much it felt like the world was spinning.

But finally, it was time.

Y/n was seated across from Red Son, enjoying a small dinner at their apartment that Red Son INSISTED on cooking.

"Um, Y/n, I-I have your gift." Red Son said, pulling on her collar nervously. "C-could you close your eyes for me, dear?"

Confused, but compliant, Y/n agreed and did as told. Red Son fumbled with getting the box out of her inner coat pocket, but got it out without tearing up the wrapping paper, luckily.

"Alright, open them."

Y/n did just that and was greeted with a bright red wrapped box. The bow of the box was a vibrant (Favorite color), the bow shining in the light. It was almost a shame to rip the wrapping off, but it needed to be done.

Y/n began to tear off the wrapping, revealing a box (red of course) that was velvety. With a confused glance at Red Son, Y/n opened the lid of the box and gasped as they saw a picture frame. It was a picture frame in the shape of a big heart, a small slideshow of photos Y/n and Red Son took together playing on a loop within the frame.

"I-I wasn't sure about what exactly to get you, but I just thought that I could...put my heart into it?" Red Son began to trail off as he saw Y/n was starting to tear up. "Y-Y/n? What's wrong? Is it not right? I-I just--!" Y/n cut Red Son off and launched themself into her arms.

"It's perfect. You're perfect, Red Son. I love it. I-I-I love you. Thank you." Y/n said softly as they fought back the tears. Red Son had to fight the sudden surge of emotion as the love of her life held onto her for dear life.

Red Son smiled and placed the picture frame on the coffee table next to the pair. The two of them then spent the longest time looking at the photos slide onto the frame, enjoying the memories and the moment with each other.

The End~~~!

[siren-serenity]

SUB! JUNGHYEOK

"are you that desperate," you smirked, trailing a finger down junghyeok's chest which was only covered with his thin undershirt. "for me? so desperate that you'd even let the entire star stream watch?" constellations from your channel were frantically messaging and giving you coins. [the constellation, demon-like judge of fire, is squealing.] [you have been gifted 500 coins.] junghyeok's face burned as he nodded frantically. a low huff escaped him as one hand played with his nipple while the other trailed the outline of his abs. he hated that he couldn't do anything about the star stream, but his need for you outweighed it by millions. "pleasepleaseplease."

characters: yu junghyeok, gn!reader (has a cock but can be a strap on) warnings: nsfw, dom/sub relationships, public sex, slight degradation a/n: - i'm now open to write for 'omniscient reader'! please do not spoil the novel/manhwa for anyone in the comments and my ask box! thank you :) - feedback is appreciated!

Junghyeok murmured your name as he sat on your lap, legs straddling your waist. His head was pressed against you and he shifted every now and then to get proper seating. However, he paused immediately when he felt a tight grip on his waist and something hard pressed between his entrance. He looked at you with widened eyes and you returned it before it melted into a smirk.

"Stay still," You leaned forward and murmured into his ear. Your warm, husky breath caressed his ears and they burned brightly. He could feel the eyes of the Star Stream constellations and buried his head in the crook of your collarbone, desperately willing your erection to go away (ignoring how he was already so fucking wet for you).

[The constellation, Demon-Like Judge of Fire, is squealing.]

[You have been given 200 coins.]

[The constellation, Abyssal Black Flame Dragon, would like a constellation to tell him when he could watch again.]

[The constellation, Lover of Beauty and Lust, is fanning her burning cheeks]

[You have been given 300 coins.]

[The constellation, Secretive Plotter, reluctantly admits to wanting to watch.]

[You have been given 1000 coins.]

[The constellations, Demon-Like Judge of Fire and Lover of Beauty and Lust, exchange knowing glances. They ask Secretive Plotter if he would want to join their group.]

[The constellation, Secretive Plotter, eyes them nervously.]

You let out a hefty chuckle at the number of messages from familiar and unfamiliar constellations. Well, you wouldn't mind harvesting as many coins as possible nor do you mind riling the so-called 'Poker-Faced King' Yu Junghyeok; it's as the saying goes "Killing two birds with one stone."

"It's not going," Junghyeok muttered a few minutes later. His ass was still pressing against your clothed hardened member. You hummed in deep thought and Junghyeok's cheeks burned at your intense stare.

"Can," He nuzzled his face in your shoulder and you could practically feel his burning face. "you slip it inside? It's been so long..."

Junghyeok could feel himself already starting to leak and grow wet just from sitting on your cock. If he had gotten off and stood up, he would burn at the thought of so many eyes staring at the wet patch on his pants.

"Are you that desperate," you smirked, trailing a finger down Junghyeok's chest which was only covered with his thin undershirt. His nipples hardened at your touch and ached painfully. He let out a breathy moan."for me? So desperate that you'd even let the entire star stream watch?"

Constellations from your channel was still frantically messaging and giving you coins. Light blue boxes flooded your sight but you ignored them all, staring into Junghyeok's pleading eyes. [The constellation, Demon-Like Judge of Fire, is squealing.]

[You have been gifted 500 coins.]

[The constellation, Lover of Beauty and Lust, is begging you to continue.]

[You have been gifted 1000 coins.]

[The constellation, Prisoner of the Golden Headband, shakes his head.]

Junghyeok's face burned as he nodded frantically. a low huff escaped him as one hand played with his nipple while the other trailed the outline of his abs. He hated that he couldn't do anything about the star stream, but his need for you outweighed it by millions.

"Please," he groaned, nipping and sucking slightly on your neck. You hummed before reaching downwards and unzipping his pants. Just touching his entrance made you smirk and you leaned in.

"Not wearing anything underneath? What a fucking slut."

Junghyeok moaned loudly, gripping the base of your hair as you unzip your own pants and pulled out your cock. You pumped it slightly, throwing your head back and groaning aloud, stirring something within Junghyeok, and heat pooled in his lower abdomen.

"You want me that badly, hmm?" You lined your cock to his wet entrance, edging him slightly. You teased it, let his walls have a taste of your cock. Just that little motion made Junghyeok whine for more.

"Harder, just slam it in! I'm so fucking wet for you already."

You chuckle before doing as told. You slam your cock within his wet walls, driving them apart and Junghyeok let out groans; the feelings of pain and pleasure rolled him and he rolled his eyes back, revealing pearly whites. He murmured something inaudible, making you lean in.

"Thrust," He muttered and you shook your head. He clenched his walls around your cock, making you moan. "Thrust in me."

"I only feel like making you cockwarm me though," You leaned in, hugging him closer to you and subtly thrusting inwards. Junghyeok moaned as he bounced himself and threw you a dirty glare. You shrugged before leaning back and putting your arms behind your back. Junghyeok could feel your eyes staring at where your cock was disappearing and reappearing in his ass, slick with pre-cum and natural lubrication.

"Just fuck me properly!" He commanded, giving you slightly teary eyes. The cockwarming and bouncing were only giving him a slight heat in his abdomen, edging him towards a blissful orgasm but not enough. Junghyeok leaned in and kissed you, licking your lower lip as permission and you grinned darkly.

"There's no going back," You warned him before hooking your arms around his legs, lifting him, and placing him on the dirt. "Use your safe words, okay love?"

"G-green," He stutters out as he felt your cock edging him with your movements. He held onto your neck tightly.

You murmur a soft apology as you knelt; the rocky hard gravel dug painfully into your skin but it was overshadowed by the curtain of lust. Junghyeok let out a whine and you thrust into him with one swift move, hitting his prostrate exactly. He arches his back cleanly off the ground, clenching his fists in an attempt to control himself from falling apart with your strong thrusts that were practically reshaping his insides. Junghyeok bites down on his lips causing crimson to bleed outwards. His body trembles which made you laugh.

"Can't handle it?"

"N-no!" He moans out. "Perfect!"

"Good," You leaned forward, capturing his lips into a kiss and he could feel your smirk against them. "'Cause we're going to go a couple of rounds, love."

[sasha199]

Legacy: Part 1 - The Crown and the Archer

Alistair x Warden no smut in this one only kissing.

This is the first part of my Dragon Age Origins fic. It takes place about 4 months after the battle with the Arch Demon, both my Warden, Marissa Cousland, and Alistair survived the fight. Afterwards, he stayed in Denerim to rule as king, while Marissa returned to Highever as the Hero of Ferelden. They did not part on good terms.

“Your Majesty.”

The only outward sign of anxiety was her death grip on the quill she held, still poised in the act of a signature. Lady Marissa Cousland, the Teyrna of Highever and Hero of Ferelden was the epitome of calm. She maintained a flawlessly deferential tone, despite her surprise. And was she ever surprised. There had been no word of his travel, not a whisper of his impending arrival. It made her suspicious and nervous. It smelled like a spy.

“My lady?” Katerina, her best lady’s maid, stood before her, head bowed and cheeks pink with shame. Marissa felt the hot inevitable anger swirling in her belly, but she softened her expression when she looked at Rina. She let her lips turn upward and her tone take on a gentle edge.

“Not to worry, my darling,” Rina met her eye then, relief flooding her delicate vulpine features, “I will get to the bottom of this.”

“Of course you will, my Lady.” She gave a slight bob of a bow and, glancing at the visitor standing to her left added, “shall I send tea up for you and-“

“Coffee, please. With cream and sugar. Thank you.” Marissa put her arms on either side of her chair to lift herself up to standing position, and froze. The dress she’d selected for herself this morning was an older one, it hugged her in places that would make her situation too obvious. She casually adjusted herself in her chair, better to remain seated and hidden behind her desk, for now.

Rina gave a deep bow to their guest before she departed, closing the door quietly behind herself.

“You remembered.” His voice, the tenderness of it, she still heard it every night before she slept, it made goose pimples snake up her arms. But she retained her composure, brushed a wayward auburn curl back over her shoulder, and met his brown eyed gaze, unflinching. That gaze was hard, not harsh, but stern, commanding. It was similar to her own, though her eyes were a sparkling blue-green. She had mastered that look at the age of nine, to see it on Alistair was almost unnerving. But he was a king now, and kings were used to having their way, she must remember that.

“How could I forget? T’was you who helped me to develop a taste for it. Though I have never been able to bring myself to drink it black.” Her voice was pleasant, conversational, a bit cool. Perfect. Her belly roiled righteously. “Forgive me for not receiving you properly, your majesty, but I’m sure you are aware that the fault for my inability to do so rests entirely at your royal feet.”

“I would apologize profusely, my Lady,” There was not a hint a deference in that tone, in fact it took on a jovial lilt as he continued, “but I seem to remember you about as well as you remember me. The last thing I wanted to give you was time to prepare for my arrival.”

Marissa said nothing, his admission stung. He couldn’t know about… could he? Maker take his eyes, there must be a spy among her people.

He was studying her face, was he pleased by what he saw there? She could not tell. His eyes trailed down to the rest of her, and he stepped closer, his boots echoing on the wooden floors. “Will you not rise and greet an old friend properly, m’lady? Surely I’m to be granted this act of courtesy at least?”

Was he smiling? She was going to murder him. All that work to put him on that throne only to have to strangle him here and now. Such a waste.

“I am quite comfortable where I am, thank you.” Marissa set the quill aside and crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair. It was comfortable, large and leather, worn with use. Her father’s chair. This small quiet room was where Bryce Cousland had preferred to do the drudgery required of the Teyrn of Highever. It was in the belly of the castle, without even a window to distract him. Everyone had known to not disturb him when he had been at work in here.

The coffee arrived, it was not Rina who brought it but a man named, Hylan. He had been in her family’s service since her father’s time, and had the worn warm look of hardy Ferelden folk. His hay colored hair and beard had long gone to grey, but his back was straight and he carried himself as if these walls were his own. In a way they were. There had been many new hires since Marissa’s return, but Hylan had been one of the few survivors of Arle Howe’s assault. Marissa was glad to see him, he would know to be discreet. Indeed, he did not bat an eye at seeing her seated behind her desk while the king of Ferelden stood before her like a petitioner. He brought her a coffee mug without hesitation after serving Alistair, and promptly left the room with a perfect bow, as was proper.

Alistair noticed none of this of course, so many of the quiet subtleties of noble life were lost on him, but he was not a dull man. And only a fool underestimated him. He did not seat himself after Hylan’s departure, nor did he touch the steaming mug set on the side table for him. His eyes never left Marissa.

Marissa sipped her drink demurely, and again met that gaze unwavering. He was getting impatient, she could feel it in the air, like humidity.

“Tell me,” Marissa began, if she let him lead the conversation he’d get to the point too soon, “who on my staff would dare conspire with you to hide your impending arrival?”

“It doesn’t matter.” He took another step towards her, Marissa fought the urge to hunch forward. It was a large desk, he couldn’t see anything. “I needed to move as swiftly and as quietly as possible. The entire nation will know that I’m here soon enough.” He seemed put out by that, and she sympathized a bit for him. Just a bit. He’d lost a lot of freedom as a king, the thought touched her…it had been so important to him to be able to come as go as he pleased. As a Grey Warden they’d…no she would not think about that, she would keep her mind on the matter at hand.

“Indeed,” she replied continuing to contemplate the severity of the situation. She was alone in her study with the king of Ferelden. Perhaps he had the right of it. There would be no time for games, not once word got out of his visit to Highever. Best to think of it as already known throughout the castle and country-side. Gossip always spread like wildfire, especially of a young and eligible king who was anxious to marry. Soon all of Highever would be whispering of his arrival, and Alistair knew...somehow he bloody knew about her condition. But she had to stall, had to find a way to table this conversation, at least until Tegan arrived. He would be here in another day or two…

“Marissa.” Alistair’s tone was suddenly soft, full of feeling. It caught her off guard. She opened her mouth, but he continued before she could reply. “Stand up. Please.” Oh he would not be deterred.

She said nothing for a moment or two, trying to get her heart rate under control. “Is that a command?” She finally managed through gritted teeth.

“Does it need to be?” He reached for her, as if to take her hand, but she pulled back instinctively. Pain flickered across his face. “Rise, Lady Cousland.”

When she still did not move his expression changed and he made as if to dart around the desk. “Alright!” Marissa snapped, slamming her fist in the desk in frustration. And she stood.

The dress she had chosen that morning was an older style, something her mother had designed for her surely, before Marissa had been conscripted. Snug around her breasts and belted at the waist with a long a-line skirt. A perfectly suitable dress for the Tyrna of Highever, a bit simple but then she had planned to spend her day steeped in paperwork, not receiving the king. However, as Alistair looked at her she knew it was not the dress he was observing. There was no hiding the soft swell along her lower belly, she had belted the dress higher in the waist to be more comfortable, but the skirt hugged her curves, it did not hide them.

“Happy?” She crossed her arms again and turned squarely to face him. The anger was plain on her face, no point disguising it now.

He said nothing. He was staring at her, with the most ridiculously reverent look she’d ever seen.

She sighed, almost deflating with the intensity of it. “Alistair, you must understand I didn’t-”

“No.” He interrupted her, “you don’t understand.” And then he was holding her face, his lips inches from hers. He still smelled the same. “This is everything, Marissa.”

“Everything?” She tried to step back but she was pinned between her chair and the desk. He stroked her cheek, she ignored it. “You spoke of…of your duty.”

“Yes.” His eyes were lidded, his lips parted. She could feel his warm breath on her face, he was watching her mouth as if hypnotized.

“You put that above me, above us. I-I knew you’d be a good king, that you would do what was right-“

He kissed her cheek softly.

“Y-you threw me away with both hands…Alistair.”

“I know,” he whispered and she shuddered as he took her earlobe between his lips.

“I c-can’t just forgive you for that…” she could feel heat gathering between her legs…his hands traced slow lazy circles up her back…it had been a long time…so long since…

“You don’t have to,” he murmured into her neck, leaving a trail of warm languid kisses along her jaw, “you can make me pay for the rest of my life.” His mouth found hers in a soft tentative kiss. “As my wife.”

“Wha-?!” But the word was swallowed under his coaxing lips as their mouths crashed together. The taste of him…Marissa’s mind flashed back to the very first time their lips touched. In camp, almost two years ago, he’d been so nervous, she remembered him trembling. She’d loved it. Marissa found herself melting into him, Maker how she’d missed this. She gripped his lapels and pulled him closer. He hummed with pleasure, deepening the kiss, muttering her name over and over. She could feel her heart pounding all throughout her body, it was so familiar, and yet part of her couldn’t believe it was happening.

She felt his large hands curl up into her hair, gently pulling her body closer. Her breast pressed against him and she whimpered reflexively. He pulled away slightly, nuzzling her cheek, “Did I hurt you?” His voice was low, almost a whisper and full of concern.

She smiled against his mouth, and shook her head slightly, “I-It’s nothing.” This could not get out of hand, she reminded herself. She could feel her mind searching, fighting to come up for air. She must resist, for herself and for her child.

As she began to pull away Alistair tightened his grip on her, he knew her too well. “No, not yet, please,” he moaned, kissing her so fiercely she was dipped back against the desk, “just a bit more.”

A throaty laugh bubbled up as she placed a flat palm against his chest. She gave a gentle push, and he reluctantly stepped back from her, after sneaking in one more kiss, of course.

There was a youthful look to his face now, an openness she had not expected to ever see again. She hated to crush it.

“Alistair,” she began, breathlessly, “I cannot-“

“No. No. Don’t. Do not do this, Marissa.” His tone was commanding, she arched a brow quizzically, before schooling her face to a more empathetic expression.

“I will always love you, Alistair.”

He took a deep breath. And then another. Marissa was having trouble reading him. He held her hand in both of his and brought his lips to her palm. She watched in silence, her mouth pursed. When he pulled her hand away and opened his eyes, she saw she was facing the king again.

He let her go and went to seat himself on the opposite side of the large squat desk. He took a sip from the coffee mug still sitting on the side table, and gestured for her to be seated as well. She did, smoothing her skirts. She had no idea how the rest of her looked but she assumed she appeared as ruffled as she felt.

He waited until she was settled before speaking. “What is this about, Marissa. You have something larger at play here. What happened between us...after the Landsmeet.” He winced, as if the memories were painful to recollect. “I left you in tears. You begged me to reconsider, you insisted it was not the end. I do not bring this up to hurt you...but it does not make sense. I am offering you a future with me. You would not dismiss that purely out of spite…” he paused, assessing her reaction, “would you?”

Only fools underestimated this man.

“I was broken.” Marissa’s blue-green eyes were clear, but she could weep at just the memory of it. And she had, often. “I did want you back.”

She had hoped he would never figure it out, that he would take her pain at face value and not question her motives. Alistair approached her directly after the Landsmeet and had crushed her heart in front of their entire party. He’d said that he’d needed a wife that was not tainted, someone who would live to see their children grow up. Someone who was not her. Zevran and Wynne had tried to comfort her. But she had been inconsolable. No one could help her because she had done this to herself.

“So why? Why will you not marry me now?”

Marissa hesitated. Part of her did want to tell him the truth, the whole truth, about why she had decided to make him king. She felt that the Alistair she had saved Ferelden with, who she had risked life and limb with, who she had fallen so deeply, wholeheartedly in love with, deserved that. But was this man, this king, who sat before her, him? He had kissed her in the way Alistair had.

But she didn’t know. She couldn’t risk it.

“Your majesty, I will not lie to you. I cannot say that there is not some part of me that deeply desires to be with you, always. At least for the amount of time that I have left, until the calling comes…” she did dread that, and she could not help but rest a hand on her belly protectively. Alistair’s hands clenched reflexively. “But it cannot be so. What is done cannot be undone, our paths take us towards separate destinies now and your duty to produce an heir with a woman who will live to raise them has not changed.”

“My lady,” Alistair leaned forward, his hands clasped his voice raspy, he was so terrible at holding his composure. It was adorable. “I implore you to reconsider. May we speak further? Tonight?”

Marissa allowed herself a playful smile, “Do you mean to seduce me, your majesty?”

“Yes.”

She felt her face drop. He was serious.

“I will do what I must. This is my child.”

“Excuse you, my child.”

“I will see you tonight.”

“I have made plans this evening, unfortunately.”

“Then unmake them.” Alistair stood, “You will be spending your evening with me.”

[ryin-silverfish]

Into the Erlang-verse: Li, Zhao, Yang

-This is something I wrote for fun and reference purposes, back when I was starting to seriously get into Chinese mythology. As such, there is no citations, and is meant to be more of a general introduction to Erlang Shen in pre-modern writings.

(Emphasis on "pre-modern", because, as much as I love the Lotus Lantern + Prequel TV series, it's just a little frustrating to see people taking the shows' version as the end-all-be-all of such a complicated deity, y'know?)

-Anyways, much like Nezha, his Archery Accident Bro, Erlang has what I'd refer to as his "Pop Culture Form": Handsome three-eyed warrior god wielding a three-pronged spear, accompanied by his doggo Xiaotian Quan(Literally "Skyhowler"), going by the surname "Yang", jade emperor's nephew, etc.

-However, The Second Lad is an even messier amalgamation of deities worshiped in different parts of China, even in his supposed "home domain", Sichuan. Here, I'm only gonna talk about the most well-known and significant Erlangs.

(Not even gonna go into the possible Zoroastrian influences and the Dujian thing...)

1. Lord of Sichuan, "Li Erlang"

Key words: Hydraulic engineer, based on a historical official and his son, fierce competitor with Zhao Erlang for the Lord of Sichuan title

Weapons: Knowledge

Power: Can turn into a bull/dragon 

Pets: N/A

"Who's Yang Jian? I've been watching over Sichuan since the Qin dynasty."

Li Bing was a pretty typical case of famous historical figure being worshiped as gods posthumously; born in the Warring States era, this official was put in charge of the Shu Prefecture (modern Chengdu) by King Zhao of Qin, and he was known as the creator of Dujiang Yan, an ancient irrigation + flood control project.

Later Tang legends deified him with a bunch of traditional "Flood-control hero" tropes taken from Yu the Great (heads up JTTW readers, SWK's staff is originally his extendable ruler), mostly the "hero turn into a giant animal" and "fight and subdue local water demons" aspect.

Though he wasn't yet known as an Erlang, or gained a son called Erlang as later folklore would have it, Li Bing's worship began in the Eastern Han dynasty, and he had a long tradition as Sichuan's guardian deity.

Even as later versions of Erlang began to populate, in the Qing dynasty, people of the province were still like "Our Lord of Sichuan is Li Bing/Li Erlang, not Yang Jian, as the novels would have you believe!"  

What made Li Bing and his likely nonexistent son into "Li Erlang" could be traced to the two "warlord states" that occupied Sichuan after the fall of Tang dynasty: both states tried to use the Lord of Sichuan worship to strengthen their own legitimacy, and passed decrees that 1) said Erlang was Li Bing's son and 2) granted both father and son honorable titles, as mentioned in Song dynasty records. 

However, due to the association of Erlang with previous warlord states, the first emperor of Song had reassigned Li Bing a lesser title and taken away his son's title altogether, reducing him to just "God of Guankou", and worshippers were quite disgruntled by the change; there was even a rebellion using the Guankou worship rituals to legitimize itself, a decade after said emperor's death.

Fun fact: when I went to the Two Lord’s Temple (of Li Bing and Li Erlang) in Dujiangyan, even though the god worshipped in the main hall was supposed to be Li Erlang, the plaque next to it still said something like "Li Erlang, also known as Yang Jian"...

Which really shows just how influential FSYY is on popular worship, to the point of overshadowing older incarnations of certain deities.

2. Immortal Master of Illustrious Sagacity, "Zhao Erlang"

Key words: Chief of Jiazhou Prefecture, dragon slayer, No.2 violator of archery safety (first place goes to Nezha)

Weapons: A scribing tablet, slingshot, sword, bow and arrows

Power: Supernatural strength, monstrous giant form

Pets: unnamed white horse, hunting hawks and hounds

"C'mon, my aim isn't that bad! What happened in the Zaju was a one-time thing!"

The prototypical Taoist Erlang, his name, "Zhao Yu"(赵昱) first appeared in a Song dynasty source. At this point, the story of Erlang was mainly defined by two traits: 1) was, or was related to an official in charge of Sichuan in bygone times and 2) Did heroic flood control stuff, probably through dragon-slaying. 

One notable strand of local worship was the "God of Guankou"; historical records mentioned that people sacrificed hundreds and hundreds of goats to him, as well as a regional festival in Sichuan where people played out his confrontation with dragons. It coexisted and entwined with the "Lord of Sichuan" worship, until the Song dynasty.

In typical Song dynasty fashion, the officials decided to give their own official title to this...Erlang/Lord of Sichuan/God of Guankou guy, bringing our titular "Zhao Erlang" into existence.

Also a deified official from the Tang dynasty, his image was more heavily influenced by Taoism (historically popular in Sichuan) and centered around one of its holy places, Mt. Qingcheng, which just happened to be quite close to Dujiang Yan.

Though in the Northern Song dynasty, the state-recognized Erlang was still "Li Erlang", the Taoist Zhao Erlang had proven himself to be a strong competitor by the Southern Song and Yuan dynasty, thanks to a massive amount of opera plays.

First we have SJSSDQ (三教搜神大全, Yuan Dynasty), an encyclopedia of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian gods, where his traditional backstory as an ascended mortal official was combined with the dragon-slaying feat to nudge Erlang toward a more warrior-esque image, a hunting god who appeared on a white horse with his entourage of hunters.

-We also got the first mention of what would become his six/seven sworn brothers; the "Seven Sages" who jumped into the water to assist him in the dragon fight.

Then we have two Yuan-Ming Zaju plays, "Erlang of Guankou Slays the Jian-jiao"(灌口二郎斩健蛟) and "Erlang Drunkenly Shot the Demon-locking Mirror" (二郎神醉射锁魔镜), in which many traits associated with JTTW's Yang Erlang could already be seen: first, his three-pronged weapon, seven brothers and bow/arrows, second, the naming of his brothers as the "Seven Sages of Mt. Mei" and his ability to shift into a "true form", aka the monstrous giant form he used in JTTW.

(The plot of the second Zaju is exactly like it sounds: Erlang and Nezha had a drunken archery competition, accidentally broke the Demon-locking Mirror and released the Bull Demon King + Hundred-Eyed Demon, and spent the rest of the play doing damage control.)

3. The Little Sage, "Yang Erlang" (JTTW)

Key words: Jade Emperor's nephew, cleaver of Peach Mountain, SWK's true equal in battle

Weapons: Three-pronged, Double-bladed Spear, slingshot, bow and arrows, axe

Power: transformations, Cosmic Body, divine sight/Phoenix Eye(?)

Pets: a celestial Xiquan, literally "Thin Dog"

"First time we met, and that monkey made fun of my origins as a conversation opener. Could you believe it."

The Man, The Myth, The Legend! As I said before, a lot of his traits were inherited from "Zhao Erlang", including his Taoist title, his temple at Guankou, etc.

However, Erlang being Jade Emperor's nephew seemed to be mostly popularized by JTTW: the only other work that might have given Erlang this backstory was The Precious Scroll of Erlang, previously dated to the 1560s, though a Chinese paper published in 2018 proposed a later creation date (1620s).

Much like JTTW Nezha, his backstory was somewhat barebones: we knew from SWK's taunt that his mother was the Jade Emperor's sister, who got chummy with Yang the mortal, gave birth to him, and was presumably locked under the Peach Mountain for that, bc Erlang then rescued her by cleaving it in half with an ax.

(Sounds familiar? The same backstory would later be copied over to Erlang's nephew, in the Lotus Lantern legends)

His other notable feats include falling 2 phoenix with his slingshot, as well as slaying the "Seven Demons of Mt. Mei ''. Out of pride, he chose to remain in Guankou instead of associating with his heavenly relatives, and did not answer to general summons to court from the Jade Emperor, only taking special assignments (听调不听宣).

Apart from his famous fight with SWK, Erlang also appeared in JTTW chapter 63, where, together with his sworn brothers, he helped the pilgrims fight the Nine-Headed Wyrm, son-in-law of Bibo Lake's dragon king. His dog continues to be the MVP in this fight, biting off one of the demon's heads, leaving it wounded and fleeing toward the north sea.

Though the description of his battle with SWK implied that he did have some sort of supernatural sight, at this point in time (Ming dynasty), Erlang wasn't yet depicted with a third eye in artworks and literature.

There are a small amount of evidence that suggest the third eye thing might have shown up in statues of this period, though.

4. Master of the Ninefold Mystic Way, "Yang Jian" (FSYY)

Key words: Disciple of the Taoist sage Yuding, veteran of the Investiture War, Nezha's comrade-in-arms

Weapons: Three-pronged Spear, slingshot

Power: Ninefold Mystic Way, 72 transformations, invulnerable to physical attacks, Samadhi Fire (in FSYY it's on the same level as a D&D wizard's Fireball spell)

Pets: Howling Celestial Dog, unnamed white horse

"I fought a transforming monkey demon too!"

Fun fact: the guy whose name was most often taken as Erlang's "real name" by pop culture was never actually referred to as "Erlang" in his debut novel. Could ya believe it.

Quick, dirty summary of FSYY: kinda like the Chinese Iliad, about the overthrowing of Shang dynasty and its tyrannical King Zhou by King Wu of Zhou, with a dash of Taoist infightings, and almost everyone who died in the fight got revived as gods and became part of the celestial bureaucracy, thus "Investiture of the Gods".

Under the order of his master, the Taoist sage Yuding (literally "jade tripod"), Yang Jian makes his first cameo in chapter 40 to assist his senior, Jiang Ziya, in the fight against the Four Generals of Clan Mo.

A master in the arts of the Ninefold Mystic Way and 72 transformations, he has the same divine title as Zhao Erlang and is considered "A Sage in Flesh" after the end of FSYY.

As such, he's able to survive getting eaten by a monstrous weasel, a metal whip in the forehead, graphic disembowelment, etc. and used his transformation skills for some SWK-style "beating people up from inside their stomachs".

On one very notable occasion, he transformed into a beautiful palace consort to dupe Tu Xingsun ("Earth-traveling Son") and capture him.

Oh, and also, on his way to get Tu Xingsun's master, he ran into this random demon in a lake, who led him into a cave. After he got inside, the demon just disappeared, leaving him with the Three-pronged Two-bladed Spear, as well as some nice bling.

Then two kids burst in, accused him of stealing the bling, and...instantly became his students after learning his name? Yeah that was a weird sidequest.

However, Yang Jian's most iconic battle is probably his fight with Yuan Hong, the White Ape of Plum Mountain...who also practiced the Ninefold Mystics, used an iron cudgel, and were sworn brothers with six/seven demon kings.

Only with the help of Nvwa's magical painting, the Shanhe Sheji Scroll, was Yang Jian able to capture the ape, and subsequently, let Jiang Ziya decapitate him with Sage Luya's Immortal Slaying Flying Knife.

When the Three Demonesses were caught and executed at the end of the book, he was the one responsible for slaying the Nine-headed Pheasant Demoness, which is a neat parallel with JTTW.

His Howling Celestial Dog appears in chapter 47, and is even more of an MVP in fights: 12 immortals and demons have been bitten by this dog, which was "as large as a white elephant and as swift as an owl".

Funnily enough, every time Yang Jian summoned his hound, it is described in the same way as, say, other immortals may summon a flying sword, and my mental image is just him yeeting his giant monster dog at the enemy like you'd throw a Pokeball.

(A list of everyone Xiaotian had bitten in FSYY: Zhao Gongming, his sister Bixiao, Xinhuan, Deng Chanyu, Zhou Xin, Hua Huan, the Winged Immortal, Yuyan, Lv Yue, Yu Hualong, Dai Li the dog demon, the Nine-headed Pheasant Demon.)

Conclusion:

-The way I see it: Li is the Erlang of regional worship, Zhao is the Erlang of Zaju plays, and Yang is the Erlang of vernacular novels, who becomes super popular and overshadows his two predecessors.

-And Erlang's depiction in premodern Lotus Lantern tales is what we in the business call "a whole new can of worms". But that's a series for another day.

[our-happygirl500-fan]

LMK/LEGO MONKIE KID SEASON 4 SPOILERS

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Something I was thinking about was what if the Camel Ridge Trio, were each supposed to act as counterparts to DBK, Macaque & SWK

When we see SWK’s brotherhood in season 4 we see six characters at a table set for eight this could be a reference to how in JTTW had a brotherhood with six other great kings/ great sages going from memory they were:

The Demon Bull King

The Dragon Flood Demon King

The Peng Demon King

The Lion Camel King

The Snub Nose Monkey King

The Macaque King

Out of the characters that we see as part of SWK’s brotherhood in LMK the Demon Bull King is the only one who was actually part of SWK’s brotherhood in JTTW.

It appears that LMK might be combining various characters that SWK faced during the journey with members of his brotherhood, most likely to create more tragic relationships; combining Macaque with The Macaque King, the Azure Lion with The Lion Camel King and Peng with The Peng Demon King.

Along side LMK combining those three characters, it also appears that LMK has changed SWK from having a brotherhood with six others to seven others in order to include the Yellow Tusked Elephant who was one of the three rulers of Lion Camel Ridge along with the Azure Lion & Peng

It might be possible that the two empty seats we see are supposed to represent the Snub Nose Monkey King & the Dragon Flood Demon King who are the remaining members of SWK’s brotherhood that have not yet appeared or been combined with another character.

Going back to the theory that each member of the Camel Ridge Trio, were each supposed to act as counterparts to DBK, Macaque & SWK the first clue that that might be the case are how all the characters at the table are seated; Azure Lion & SWK are both seated at the heads of the table, DBK & Yellow Tusk are seated across from each other and Macaque & Peng are also sitting across from each other.

If the positions at the table are clues on how each member of the Camel Ridge Trio, were each supposed to act as counterparts to DBK, Macaque & SWK, then Azure Lion is supposed to be SWK’s counterpart, Yellow Tusk is supposed to be DBK’s & Peng is supposed to be Macaque’s.

MK: Is this what dying is like?

SWK: Relax a little telepathic communication never hurt anybody, I think

Mei: Is this what dying is like

Azure Lion: Eh a little astral projection never hurt anyone

SWK: You

Azure Lion: Me

At the start of season 4 Azure Lion presented himself as a helpful mentor figure to MK & Mei in SWK’s absence before his true intentions where revealed even saying lines similar to SWK. It might not be much of a stretch to view SWK & Azure Lion as possible counterparts in the story that LMK is trying to tell as they both seem to be opposed to one another. 

DBK: A true leader should be big! Strong!

Yellow Tusk: The Demon Bull King was our last hope of reforging the brotherhood

In regards to DBK & Yellow Tusk being counterparts to one another though we do not see DBK & Yellow Tusk interact much it’s clear that they had held respect for one another, on a more meta scale DBK & Yellow Tusk could be regarded as counterparts as in contrast to LMK adding Yellow Tusk onto SWK’s brotherhood, DBK is the only member of SWK’s brotherhood in LMK who was actually part of SWK’s brotherhood in JTTW

Peng: You always were the most cowardly of the bunch Macaque

Peng: Your characteristically quiet Macaque 

Peng: As for Macaque, well, that coward has tucked himself away somewhere even I can’t sniff him out 

In regards to Peng & Macaque being counterparts it’s clear that Peng is the one in the brotherhood who interacted with Macaque the most outside of SWK as Peng is the one in the brotherhood who talks to Macaque directly & includes him in conversation. Peng’s focus on Macaque might be that LMK is trying to form some form of connection between Peng & Macaque that is similar to the connection between Azure Lion & SWK as similar to how Azure Lion would say similar lines to SWK, Peng appears to taunt Mei in a similar way to Macaque in season 3

Macaque: Little girl you can shoot me all you want it won’t do you any good

Peng: Greetings little girl

This is all mostly just speculation but I thought it would be interesting if each member of the brotherhood was meant to act as counterparts to one another.