#guanyin;oc

[quitealotofsodapop]

In stone matriarch au, during s3, there was a power struggle unknown to anyone else until the very end. If you've read JTTW the actions of the LBD are confusing because she basically just showed up to mess with the group and get Wukong kicked out, but didn't really do anything else for no real reason. In Stone Matriarch, she had a very good reason in the form of a powerful spirit that had been following Wukong around, as spirit only one of the Pilgrims had even the slightest clue about and it most definitely wasn't Wukong.

Tripitaka: Why is there a ghost monkey following Pilgrim Sun AROUND?

LBD, seeing the group: OK, the monkey gotta go! Thay spirit is way too powerful!

It comes to a head centuries later, when LBD was freed from the seal Tripitaka had placed upon her. She hadn't known exactly who Shihua had been and what her connection to Wukong was centuries ago, but in her imprisonment and the months after being freed, she had plenty of time to do her research. It was not easy to find since Shihua was from an age before memory, but she had the benefit of having a stone monkey of her own under her employ. Macaque hadn't told her much of anything, but he hadn't needed to. Her brief period of time possessing him allowed her to look through his memories and learn the stories he used to tell for the Stone Matriarch. Between that, the spirit being very protective in regards to the Monkey King, and her clear resemblance... it was easy for her to piece together exactly who Shihua was to the Monkey King.

So when she got her champion, she also had the perfect leverage against the rival spirit already.

That feel when Sun Wukong (and the wider public) believe he was born parentless from a stone - only for the spirit of his mama to be watching over him ever since Guanyin saw him during the Havoc.

Guanyin has pretty decent control over their past lives, but it can be hard especially with ones that had earthly connections. When the Bodhisattva arrived late to the Peach Banquet and witnessed an angry little monkey fighting her diciple, a certain past life spoke out;

Shihua, manifesting seperately from Guanyin: "My baby! Dear Bodhisattva, please spare him! That monkey is my son!"

Guanyin, confused & worried: "What?!"

Guanyin managed to intervene to spare the Monkey King from death, but not from punishment. Shihua understood that her child had done wrong, but she would have moved Heaven and Earth to save him from execution. The Matriarch was most distressed when her baby was permanently scarred by Lao Tzu's Furnace - forever changing his gold eyes (the same as her husband) into painful glowing red.

Wukong didn't see it. But his mother watched over him all of those 500 years. She saw his despair, his torment, the breakdown of his relationships. Shihua swears she has words to give Liu er Mihou if she ever gets her hands on him - Macaque isn't deaf to her words either, just confused where it's coming from.

No matter how much the Matriarch tried, she couldn't wrap her arms around her baby. She was only a spirit after all.

Guanyin isn't supposed to let her past life manifest away from her, and not for so long. But she manages to convince anyone who notices that it's a way for her to monitor the Monkey King while he's on his Journey. Her past life had insisted as his preceeding ruler.

Many more powerful beings may see The Matriarch's spirit, but few choose to comment upon it. She is part of the Bodhisattva montoring the Journey after all.

The first time Tripitaka realises that his bodyguard has a spirit following him; is the first time they stay overnight at a shrine or temple. The dao is strong enough on holy ground that the monk is able to percieve spirits if he concentrates. Seeing a regal, female monkey demon looking at his beastly ward like a mother to her child certainly wasn't what he expected!

At first, Tripitaka attempted to talk to the spirit. Perhaps she's a wandering ghost from the monkey's past? Perhaps she needs to be convinced to move on?

The Matriarch looks at the monk with a mixture of distain and indignance. She does not spare him a word until after many months of journeying.

In that time though, Tripitaka had come to a conclusion; the spirit was a mother, and a very powerful entity. But his diciple was not aware of her. Carefully posed questions revealed to him that Wukong did not have (to his knowledge) any blood kin.

The female monkey spirit seemed saddened when the King said that he has no mother or father.

Tripitaka is a mama's boy himself. He broke his vow of pacifism to free his mother from her captor, and to avenge what Liu Hong had done to both of his parents. The dragon of the Hong River had been kind to give his parents their lost years back to them.

So when he catches the Matriarch singing lullabyes to the sleeping Monkey King, Tripitaka realises exactly what's happening.

Shihua, trying to brush hair away from her son's face: "He had his father's beautiful gold eyes..."

Sun Wukong does have a mother. And she's not leaving her baby alone ever again.

It all comes to a head during the White Bone Spirit Arc.

LBD can see Shihua for what she is; a divine spirit far more powerful than her. So she needs the monkey demon out of the way if she plans on eating the Golden Cicada's soul. She exploits the fact that the Matriarch is far more focused on protecting her child than the monk himself.

The ghosts of Flower Fruit Mountain erupt in praise and reverence when their Queen returns, shielding her son. The ground seems to burst with life with each step she takes. She takes the return to her kingdom to reunite with the spirit of her husband Ye Lin, and to introduce him to their (firstborn) son. But their time together cannot last; their boy has friends to save, and a journey to finish. And Shihua doesn't want to miss a thing.

When the pig comes calling for the Monkey King's aid once more; the Matriarch and her Consort share one last embrace before she must return to her duties.

Unfortunately, being a witness to her son's Journey - Shihua also sees the tragedies of her son's former allies, and the loss of his mate. Despite her distain for him, Shihua sheds a tear for the Six Eared Macaque.

However she is also there for victories.

She is there cheering when her son reaches the Buddha's domain, bowing to the Enlightened One as Guanyin would.

Guanyin grants her past life another reunion with her mate before she must return to Fragrant Mountain. The bodhisattva blushes and sighs as the two monkey spirits kiss and coo like newlyweds all over again. No wonder Sun Wukong seems to be made of love incarnate.

Them comes LMK... and the Bodhisattva senses something amiss in the world of mortals once more. She sends her past life ahead to keep watch over her child, only to find a second stone monkey cub wielding her son's staff!

Ye Lin's spirit, although a weaker spirit, had found a new stone monkey hatching overdue from it's brother's egg and managed to steer the little one towards a home that would care for them.

Shihua immediately begins cooing and trying to groom MK's wild brown hair - the same chestnut brown as her mate. Like her son, she is weak to cute things. And the "Monkie Kid" is certainly an adorable cub! Even if he can only see her when he's unwell - she's unsure if she's flattered or offended by his feverish description of her as a "Gramma Monkey".

When the White Bone Spirit returns, Shihua is poised to protect her both of her babies.

LBD knows this well. Would the Matriarch wager the world itself for her young?

[hemiamae]

I thought I ought to post more so here are some pages from my sketchbook! Ft. My friend’s ocs dressed up in traditional clothing ( @evilbiomes and @yusujo) Guanyin, and my awesome really cool really amazing friend’s likenesses from Halloween yesterday! (@corviisquire, @pear-island, @yusujo and the people without tumblr) Their costumes are listed :)

[pirouettepenguin]

I couples of things I drew today

(Also MY FRIEND DREW WUKONGGGG YAA- she also ships shadow peach!!😝🐸🐸🐸🐸🙊🙊🙈🙈🙈)

I also forgot how nuwa looked liked while drawing soooo-

[violetjedisylveon]

Havoc In Heaven 2 (Macaque and Wukong looked away for one second and their kid wandered off)

Little Star chapter 12

Summary: Wukong and Macaque takes their eyes off their daughter for two seconds and she gets loose in heaven. She makes some friends. And an enemy. Then she gets to meet all of her grandmas! It's definitely not uncomfortable for Wukong because of his mommy issues with Nuwa.

Word count: 4.3k

Warnings: 🚫 intentional harm to children, biting, and a bit of blood mention🚫

A/N: We stan Mama Guanyin in this house! Art of Chao-Xing and Xiaotian Quan I've been saving for this chapter.

Cracked Family AU Masterpost

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Liu'er helped his mate out of his portal, right in front of a pair of guards.

“The celestial realm never changes, does it?” Wukong prompted.

“You'd figure after all these years they'd have better security.” He agreed.

“You know the only reason you can do that is because we let you, right?” One of the guards said, pointing his spear at them in some sort of pitiful threat attempt 

The other, much more experienced guard just lowered the first’s staff.

“Leave it.” He snapped.

“Enjoy your visit, please don't steal anything.” The older guard said tiredly.

“No promises.” Wukong smirked.

Liu'er rolled his eyes at his mate’s antics.

“No promises!” Chao-Xing echoed from her spot, clinging to his back.

“Papa is being silly, isn't he?” He asked his daughter.

“Yes! Silly Papa!” She chirped.

“Can you get going, we have a job to do.” The younger guard said, earning himself a slap to the back of the head from his superior.

“Time to visit your uncles Nezha and Bing!” Wukong whooped.

He grabbed Chao-Xing off his back and gently tossed her up.

“And Nuwa.” Liu'er reminded his mate.

Wukong muttered something under his breath, he rolled his eyes at the childishness. He pulled his mate closer to him, cupping his face gently.

“I know you don't like her, and she has a lot she still needs to answer for, but she can't do any of that if you won't let her. Just give her a chance, you know she is trying to be better.” he insisted.

Wukong avoided his gaze with a half hearted grumble. He tilted his mate's head to look at him.

“Please peaches? For me?” He requested.

“Ugh, fine! But only because you asked so nicely.” Wukong said.

“Thank you, peach.” he gave his husband a quick kiss, then they were on their way.

They made their way through the celestial realm to Nezha's home, near the pagoda he guarded. They had told Nezha they were coming so he wouldn't be caught completely off guard by a surprise visit while he was on the clock. The child protector wasn't always guarding that old map, several alert systems were in place in order for him to get to it before anyone could reach the map, and the seal on it was nearly unbreakable.

“Nezha! It's your favorite brother!” Wukong said as he knocked on Nezha's door loudly.

“Really, his favorite brother?” Liu'er snickered.

“Jinzha and Muzha certainly aren't.” his mate shrugged.

“Ah, you got me there.” He rolled his eyes.

“What are you saying about my brothers?” The door opened, Nezha glared down at them, well, at Wukong anyway, he and Nezha were about the same height.

The god was dressed in much less formal clothes, by celestial standards, he didn't look quite as ready to go to war at a second's notice. He had a mug of dark coffee in his hand, honestly Liu'er could relate.

“Just that I'm your favorite!” Wukong said happily.

“I don't have a favorite brother.” Nezha said, letting them in.

“You have a least favorite!” Ao Bing called from further inside.

“Oh? Who is it?” Liu'er asked, smirking at the lotus warrior.

“Yi is his least favorite.” Bing answered helpfully.

The silver and blue dragon was enjoying his own mug of coffee, significantly sweeter than Nezha's, on a couch in the pair’s living room. Nezha shot his friend a glare.

“It's true.” Bing shrugged.

“Is that the little one?” The dragon prince asked excitedly.

“Hi!” Chao-Xing chirped in greeting.

“Aww, she reminds me of Duofan when she was a baby.” Bing cooed.

“Doesn't she, Nezha?” He asked.

“She's less flowery.” Nezha hummed, a soft smile on his face.

“Aww, your uncles like you.” Wukong nuzzled the top of her head.

She giggled, her tails thumping against his legs happily.

“Oh whoa, I didn't know monkeys could have two tails!” Bing exclaimed.

Chao-Xing proudly showed both her tails off to the dragon.

“They normally don't.” Nezha commented.

They settled in the pair’s home for a calm breakfast, Chao-Xing made it known repeatedly that she wanted to be let down.

“Do you mind if we let her crawl around for a bit? She's still getting used to walking in New places.” Liu'er asked.

“We baby proofed the place again just for her.” Nezha said.

“You heard your uncle, go ahead.” Wukong said once he set their daughter down.

The little monkey crawled around, investigating the various new surfaces she was presented with.

He turned his back on the cub, drawn into the conversation between his mate and brother in law. He turned away just long enough for Chao-Xing to discreetly make a clone and vanish into her own shadow.

XXX

Chao-Xing came out of her shadow at another new place. 

This isn't the flower place. She pouted, she wanted to see the flowers she could smell.

This place smelled funny, like an animal, but she didn't know what animal.

Curiously, she climbed up the steps and slipped under the door's shadow to the other side. It was a strange house, it didn't smell like someone very happy lived here, it smelled really sad. One of her ears flicked at the thumping sound coming closer, she turned in the direction of the sound.

A big, fluffy black cloud stared down at her. The cloud had big, dark eyes with red around them, just like Papa!

The cloud came closer to her, Chao-Xing reached her hand out to pet the cloud, wondering if it was soft and squishy like Papa’s cloud. The cloud stared at her outstretched hands, a big, wet nose sniffed her, the cloud’s tail wagged happily.

She patted the cloud’s nose, the cloud had a soft face, it wasn't squishy like Papa’s cloud, but very warm and soft. The cloud licked her cheek with a big wet slobbery tongue, she giggled and wiped the drool off her face.

“I’m looking for the flowers! Do you wanna come!” She told the cloud.

Cloud blinked at her, she crawled back to the door. The cloud could come if it wanted or not.

“Bye-bye!” She waved, slipping back into the door's shadow and out the other side.

The cloud barked in alarm, she didn't know clouds could make that sound. The cloud came out from a smaller door inside the bigger door.

“Are you coming?!” She asked.

The cloud stared at her in confusion. She patted the cloud's nose when it got close enough.

“Come on, let's find the flowers!” She said.

The cloud huffed and nodded. She grinned, now she had a cloud friend too!

“To the flowers!” She chirped, crawling in the direction she had been going before.

Cloud walked with her until they found the place where the pretty flowers smell came from.

A bunch of pretty flower trees were growing in the middle of a big yard.

“Flowers! We found the flowers!” She giggled to her new friend.

She crawled into the garden, there were so many pretty flowers, she wanted to pick some, they smelled so nice, Papa and Baba would like them too! But Papa said she had to ask before she took anything that wasn't hers.

It was just good manners.

Baba always laughed about it.

She looked around for someone she could ask, she could hear people in the garden, they didn't sound close. She shrugged, she could just crawl around until she found someone.

Cloud followed her the entire time she looked around the flower garden.

She eventually found a lady sitting on a bench deep in the garden, a very pretty lady. And she was a kitty! She had round kitty ears and a striped tail. The kitty lady had something in her hands that she was playing with, she wasn't close enough to see.

Chao-Xing crawled over to her and tugged on her skirt to get her attention. The kitty lady stopped what she was doing and looked around.

“Excuse me.” Chao-Xing squeaked.

The kitty lady looked down at her and smiled softly. She reached up to climb into the bench so she could see better,

“Why hello there, what are you doing here little one?” The kitty lady asked, helping her onto the bench.

“I’m explorin’ with Cloud!” She answered, happily pointing to Cloud.

Cloud trotted over to the kitty lady and rested its head on the bench.

“Is ‘Cloud’ your friend?” The kitty lady questioned.

“Yes! She's my big fluffy friend!” She nodded.

“Ah, she is very fluffy, just like you.” The kitty lady laughed.

“You're fluffy too!” She said.

The kitty lady looked confused, she pointed to the lady's tail.

“Oh, I see.” The kitty lady nodded.

“Can I have some flowers?” She asked.

“The peach flowers?”

“Yes! They're very pretty!” She nodded eagerly.

“We don't pick these flowers, they are very special.” The kitty lady told her.

“Oh. Okay!” She chirped.

The kitty lady looked surprised, then she laughed.

“I can take you to a garden where you can get flowers, if you want.” She offered.

“Yes please!” She jumped to her feet.

She stumbled a bit, she managed to find her balance without falling over, she was getting better at walking. The kitty lady offered her hand with a smile, Chao-Xing smiled back and took her hand.

She liked this kitty lady.

XXX

“Stay safe little one.” The kitty lady called after her.

Chao-Xing waved her goodbye as Cloud barked at her. She put one hand on her friend to keep herself steady as she walked, she still wasn't very good at it. Cloud was carrying some of the flowers from the kitty lady too, she smelled very nice.

She and Cloud walked around for a bit more before they came across a tall, tower-like building. She stopped and stared at it, it cast a long, dark shadow over her.

There was something familiar in there.

She walked towards it. Cloud whined, pacing back and forth where she had stopped, she turned and looked back at her friend. Cloud quickly trotted over to her, sticking much closer to her than she had before.

Chao-Xing entered the strange, tower-like building.

Buzzing filled her ears as she looked around for anyone in the big empty space. There was nothing on the first floor but a big seat in the middle of the furthest wall, there was a little building sitting on the seat.

She stepped towards it, the buzzing got louder, it almost sounded like a bunch of muffled voices. She reached towards the little tower, she could barely hear anything over the buzzing in her ears.

“What are you doing in here?” 

I've heard that voice before.

A hand snatched the little tower up, she followed it to see an old man dressed in white and teal towering over her. He glared down at her, her stomach squirmed.

I know you.

She didn't know how, but she knew him. The man rolled his eyes with an angry sigh.

“Of course it's you, Ruò shí hóu. Where are your parents?” He snarled.

She frowned at him, he didn't feel good or safe. He felt… he felt not that. She crossed her arms and turned her nose up like Xuěhuā did. The man groaned again, he came towards her.

“I'd like to get you out of my-”

Pain shot through her right tail.

She yelped and bit the hand coming towards her. It came from the same direction the pain was coming from.

The man tried to shake her off, she bit harder, he lifted her off the ground, she refused to let go, she'd fall if she did now. Cloud barked, jumping and yipping at the mean man.

He grumbled and shouted something she didn't understand at her, he yanked her hair, trying to pull her off, she growled and bit down even harder.

She heard something running towards the entrance, the walking lotus from before with the blue noodle came running in.

“Father, have you-” he broke off, taking in the scene in front of him.

“It appears you have.” He said.

“Nezha, help me get this child off. Now.” The meanie snarled.

The walking lotus came over, he reached for her, she liked the walking lotus a lot more than the meanie, she let him pull her off. He produced a pink cloth and wiped her face, she wrapped one tail around his arm and one around his waist as he cleaned her face, Cloud paced between them and the mean man, she really liked Cloud.

“Why were you biting him?” The walking lotus asked her.

“I believe I accidentally stepped on the child’s tail. I didn't realize it had a second one.” the meanie said before she had a chance to explain.

“Oh. That'll do it.” The walking lotus said.

Chao-Xing growled at the meanie, she did not like him, he was bad, very bad. He narrowed his eyes and stepped away from her.

“Hey, it's okay, he didn't mean to, you're okay now.” The walking lotus told her.

She glanced between him and the meanie, she didn't want to be in the same space as the meanie anymore, she hissed at him a final time and turned her nose up.

“I suppose it doesn't like me very much now.” The meanie chuckled.

“Very well, get the child out of here.” He said dismissively.

The lotus mumbled something she didn't understand as he stomped out of the building. Cloud followed after them, keeping one eye on the meanie the whole time.

“Oh, and Nezha? Do tell the simians to keep a better eye on their spawn.”

Chao-Xing stuck her tongue out at the meanie over the lotus’s shoulder.

“Goodbye, Father.” the lotus said.

He walked out without another word.

He pulled her into his arms, lightly tapping her nose with a fond sigh.

“Your dads are practically tearing apart the realm as we speak, please, don't wander off again.” He said.

“Okay!” She chirped.

He raised an eyebrow.

“Are you going to stay put?”

“Probably not!”

“At least you're more honest than your parents.” He sighed.

“Alright, let's find your dads.” He said, adjusting her to rest against his side.

He really did smell like a lotus, he was very strange, she'd never seen a walking plant before… her stomach rumbled.

“Don't. I'm not food.” The walking lotus said.

She stared him in the eye.

“Have a plum.” He sighed, handing the fruit to her.

She happily started nibbling at it.

XXX

One second!

He didn't have his eyes on his cub for one second and she had teleported out of Nezha's home to Buddha knows where in the celestial realm.

This really must be a punishment from the universe for how I was as a cub. Wukong sighed.

The clone that Chao-Xing used to fool them with had dispersed itself as soon as it was caught, leaving them without a lead. At least it didn't sound like she was causing much trouble for anyone.

“Wukong! Mihou! I found her!” His head snapped up at the sound of Nezha's voice.

His brother had a brown fluff ball in his arms and was being followed by a large, black dog. Erlang’s dog Xiàotiān Quǎn.

“Huh, looks like she made a friend.” Liu'er chuckled.

“Yeah, how'd she manage to do that?” He wondered aloud.

“She's sweet, cute and Quǎn likes babies.” Liu'er answered.

The dog in question whined in offense at his comment, turning her dark snout up at them.

“Oh hush, you know it's true.” His mate chided the celestial hound.

“Your daughter thinks I'm food.” Nezha said abruptly, holding Chao-Xing out to him.

“Well, you are part lotus.” Bing said as Wukong took his daughter back.

Nezha shot his friend a glare. Chao-Xing chirped at him for food, going for their more animalistic sounds rather than using words, it was just easier sometimes. He and Liu'er often made such sounds at each other for little reason.

“Hang on lychee muncher, we'll get some food soon.” He told her.

She whined and tried to chew on her tail, she suddenly shrieked and jerked away from the tail, howling in pain.

“Oh… my father stepped on her tail by accident, I found her in his home… biting him.” Nezha explained awkwardly.

Chao-Xing growled, her fur bristled defensively.

“By accident?” his moon prompted skeptically.

Li Jing wasn't shy about his dislike for either of them, he doubted that the pagoda king accidentally stepped on his daughter’s tail. He knew how sensitive their tails were, he'd abused that knowledge in the past.

“There isn't any evidence to suggest otherwise.” Nezha said.

“How badly did she bite him?” He asked.

“Wukong!” Nezha snapped.

“You can't say he doesn't deserve it.” Bing commented.

“Who deserves what?”

Wukong almost jumped out of his skin at the voice behind him, his mate didn't even bother to hide his snicker. His mother smirked at him.

“Mom! I thought we were supposed to come to you.” He said.

“Yes, you were, you're late.” Yuze scolded.

“Well, someone tricked us with a clone and spent the morning wandering around heaven.” Liu'er explained, shooting a pointed look at the cub in his arms.

Chao-Xing cheekily stuck her tongue out at him.

“And here I thought you were just trying to avoid her. Again.” Yuze said pointedly.

Wukong coughed awkwardly. So what if he dragged his feet on this visit and waited an extra six months instead of coming after Chao-Xing turned two?

“Nǎi nai! Nǎi nai!” Chao-Xing squeaked.

She squirmed out of his arms, he caught her with his tail. Yuze plucked the cub out of his grasp, Chao-Xing eagerly hugged the demon monkey.

“You smell funny nǎi nai.” She giggled.

“I'm made of clay.” 

“Like Papa?”

“It's a close enough comparison, sure.” Yuze shrugged.

“Now, do you want to meet your other grandma?” She prompted.

Fuck, no avoiding her now. Wukong growled internally.

“I have two?!” Chao-Xing asked excitedly.

“You have three actually, and they're both here to meet you.” Yuze said, flicking Chao-Xing’s head lightly with her tail.

“Awesome!” the little cub exclaimed.

“Oh! Can I give them flowers? I got pretty flowers!” She gasped, pulling a bouquet of flowers that looked to be right out of Xiwangmu’s personal garden out of her shadow.

“Where did you get them, Lychee?” Liu'er asked.

“The kitty lady let me take some!” Chao-Xing exclaimed.

Huh, they were straight from the Queen Mother's garden.

“They are very lovely, of course you can give them to your grandmothers.” Yuze told her.

Chao-Xing chirped cheerfully, her twin tails swishing in excitement.

“At least someone is excited.” He muttered.

Yuze gave him a disappointed look, he flinched at the harshness in her gaze. Liu'er elbowed him for being rude, he brushed it off, yeah yeah, he swore he'd be good. Yuze then turned to Nezha.

“Nezha, Erlang is looking for you, he's trying to find Quǎn.” she told the god.

“I'll bring her over to him now, thanks Mo-Ma’am! Ma’am! Thank you Yuze!” Nezha blurted, covering his reddened cheeks.

“You're welcome.” she smiled.

Quǎn whined at having to leave, but dutiful followed Nezha and Bing when they left.

Yuze spun around and grabbed him by the ear, Chao-Xing giggled.

“Come along, this has been put off for long enough.” His mom pulled him along.

He dragged his feet behind her, he was never in the mood to deal with Nuwa, and the goddess knew it.

“Clearly you got your stubborn avoidance of slightly uncomfortable situations from her.” Yuze muttered, shooting him a pointed stare.

He glowered at his mom, but stopped dragging his feet.

“Thank you Shí Hóu.” she said, releasing his ear.

He glanced at Liu'er for help or moral support, the jerk just shrugged and tugged him along with his tail.

“You swore you would try.” He reminded him.

“I know, I know.” He grumbled.

“Don't pout Shí Hóu.” Yuze called from up ahead.

“Your face’ll get stuck Papa!” Chao-Xing chimed in.

“Yes, it will.” Yuze agreed.

He stopped pouting, externally at least, and followed his mom.

All too soon, they were at the gates of Nuwa’s section of the celestial realm, he could hear gently running water from beyond the walls. The smell of salty ocean seas and lotus flowers in bloom lingered around the edge.

Guanyin was already here. They really were late.

Yuze rested her hand on the gate, a light golden seal flashed into view for a moment then faded as the door opened.

A winding dirt path lead through the groves of trees that Nuwa kept. He caught a glimpse of movement in the recreated forest, one of Nuwa's creations watched them with curious eyes. His stomach flipped at the sight of the creature, he stamped down the familiar twinge of jealousy.

The trees thinned out to a large flat plain with a calm river running through it. Next to the river sat Guanyin and Nuwa. The moment he saw the goddess, any idea of being nice about this left his mind. Nuwa didn't even try, why should he now?

“I found them.” Yuze announced.

Unfortunately, Guanyin seemed to be in on Yuze’s plan of making him and Nuwa interact, she gently pushed the goddess forward ahead of her.

“S-sun Wukong…” Nuwa greeted him awkwardly.

“Nuwa.” He gave the goddess a curt nod.

They stared at each other for a few tense moments of silence, Nuwa looked away first, a hint of that familiar, hated regret on her face.

“For the love of-! You're both adults, act like it!” Yuze snapped at the both of them.

“It's good to see you again.” Nuwa tried.

“I can't say the same.” He muttered.

“Sun Wukong!” Guanyin scolded.

He rolled his eyes.

“I guess it's nice to see you too.” He muttered.

“Why do I even bother?” He heard his mom grumble under her breath.

He ignored the look Yuze and Liu'er gave him as he went over to them.

“Be civil, Shí Hóu.” She ordered.

“Sure, I'm not talking to her.” He shrugged, leaning against one of the large stones scattered around.

“Peaches, remember what we talked about?” Liu'er prompted.

“What? I tried.” he smirked at his mate.

“Not very hard.” Liu'er growled softly.

“Neither did she.” He shrugged.

“You're impossible.” Liu'er said.

The shadow monkey left him to go introduce his daughter alongside Yuze. His daughter gave the flowers she got to each of her grandparents happily.

Wukong sat back and watched how the goddess gently and nervously held his cub when she was given the opportunity. Yuze adjusted her hold, laughing about some joke between the two of them.

Nuwa looked at his cub with genuine awe and affection. That jealousy flared up again, he bitterly smothered it. He wasn't going to be jealous that she decided she would actually try now, he wasn't going to be jealous of his own daughter having a better relationship with his creator than he did.

He wouldn't do that.

XXX

Chao-Xing yawned, she was getting really sleepy.

It was a very big day.

She had a lot of fun, lots of new people and animals and things and food. Her grandmas made really good food and had really tasty fruits. 

But she was sleepy now.

She wanted her blankie, it was soft and red like Baba's scarf, and it was always warm. She was cold, she didn't like it. She yawned again, she could lay down for a little nap.

Papa picked her up before she could really sleep, she hissed at him for disrupting her nap time. He cuddled her in his arms, she snuggled closer to steal Papa's warmth, Papa was always very warm.

Nǎi nai talked with Papa about something, she gave him a little piece of paper and looked a little sad as she spoke. She didn’t pay much attention to what they were saying, but one word caught her attention.

Chūn.

She'd heard that name before. The elders talked about a monkey named Chūn who didn't live there anymore. Nǎi nai was old, she probably used to know her.

Papa took nǎi nai’s letter, telling her he'd get it delivered.

Papa talked to other nǎi nai for a bit, Baba was busy talking to first nǎi nai, then third nǎi nai came up.

“I have something for her, if that's okay.” Third nǎi nai said.

Papa glared at her, he didn't seem to like third nǎi nai very much.

“Fine. Make it quick.” He snapped.

Third nǎi nai took her and set her on the ground, she sat on the short rock behind her, her legs were really tired from all the walking she did.

“This is for you.”

Third nǎi nai held a shiny stone out to her. It had six pointy bits, it was a really pretty purple in the center and yellow at the edge of the pointy bits. She took the stone from her nǎi nai, it was heavy, and very pretty.

“It's a very special stone I made just for you, please be careful with it.” Third nǎi nai told her.

“Okay! I'll keep it in my shadow! It's very safe!” She nodded.

“That will do just fine.” Third nǎi nai said.

Third nǎi nai handed her back to Papa once she dropped the stone into her shadow. Papa gave third nǎi nai a weird look as she got herself cozy again. She yawned, she wanted her blankie. She tugged Papa's sleeve.

“I want my blankie.” She said.

He smiled softly at her. She heard third nǎi nai leave them, going back further into her home, she said she would show her the things she made another time.

“I know starlight, we'll be home soon, then you can sleep all you want.” He told her, kissing her forehead gently.

She giggled, Papa’s kisses always tickled.

“Can I have a bath? Please?” She asked.

“I'll talk to your Baba about it.” Papa sighed.

She gave a happy chirp and settled into Papa’s arms. Baba finished talking with nǎi nai and made his way over to them.

“Someone looks sleepy~” he cooed.

She yawned in response, she was very sleepy.

“Let's get home.” Baba said.

He opened a shadow, and they stepped through it into their home. Baba has the coolest powers.

[monkeysforapplez]

New oc! Which means, new lore teehee

[rainboopz]

in Hughie's world, Quán Thế Âm (Guanyin, Goddess of Mercy) very much exists and plays a role as a voice of reason and represents the Mahayana side of Buddhism, though she does not interfere more than that. Really though, she's here for the demon Cuồng Nộ Quái

She has many forms so!!! Thought I'd doodle some examples

[pierrotsoup]

Comprehensive everything I've drawn (no non-lazy things I fear) in the last like 6 months compilation!!!! I love history

[tychodorian]

That's it! That's a wrap!

The end of Chapter 07 is finally here. What did y'all think? Do you think Shawn's gonna take the deal? I'm so excited to finally be through the exposition of the comic, and now we're on to the main plot. Thank you all so much for subscribing to the comic and supporting it this far. I appreciate each and every one of you!

If you want to read all of Heaven's Equal (all 125+ episodes of it), you can do so on Tapas and Webtoon. The link is in my pinned post!

[coming-for-them-kneecaps]

Monkie Destiny Challenge

Demons / Gods

[valdrinors-writing]

OC HALLOWEEN CHALLENGE 2024 - DAY ONE - GODLY PARENT

Amber Talbot - Granddaughter of Hyperion, Titan of Light, Wisdom and Watchfulness Luna Derbyshire - Daughter of Guanyin, Bodhisattva of Compassion Skye - Child of Hastur, The King in Yellow Gwen Hartford - Daughter of Hermes, Herald of the Gods Leia Gould - Daughter of Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and the Wilderness

[aroacenezhaanddainsleif]

"Ah, thank you, Rihe." Guanyin nodded at her youngest acolyte as the bai ze poured her cup full of wine, the child shooting her a smile at her praise. Guanyin laughed slightly, patting their head as she turned back to the other gods at the celestial banquet.

It was a minor affair, mostly- a yearly celebration that invited the presence of gods and their students, whether offspring or apprentices. This was why one of the youngest gods, the Third Lotus Prince Nezha, and Guanyin's acolyte, Rihe, were attached at the hip, making faces at each other during the dinner. Nezha's brother and Guanyin's other student, Muzha, was also there, alongside the two's father, Li Jing. (Neither Jinzha nor Longnu could make it, robbing the general and the goddess of a child and acolyte respectively.)

Speaking of General Li Jing, Rihe had begrudgingly turned around to lift the wine pitcher for his cup. Guanyin had reminded them time and time again that a child like Rihe, no matter how valid their points may be, had no right to disrespect their elders. No matter how many times Rihe saw their friend flinch under the gaze of his father, no matter how many times the boy's bangles and torque tightened mercilessly against brown skin, and no matter how many times Rihe had watched Nezha bow in obedience when his father raised that golden pagoda above his head, threatening him-

Somewhere in the world outside Rihe's mind, the flow of wine shifted to spill over the rim of the goblet.

Splash.

And the general's mighty white and green garments became soiled with dark red wine, dripping down the fabric in spooling rivulets.

"You-!" Li Jing pounded his fist on the table, glaring down at the young tiger demon that stood stock still on the golden banquet floor. Rihe did not meet his gaze, still staring at the wine dripping down the cloth.

After a long beat, Guanyin laid a delicately manicured hand on their shoulder. "Rihe." Her gentle voice turned stern, blue fingers lightly squeezing their shoulder. "Apologize."

Apologize.

Guanyin's acolyte took a deep breath, swallowing the poison on their tongue before performing a rigid bow toward the general. "Please accept my apologies, General Li." They finally lifted their head, tail swishing behind furrowed brows. "I will not disrespect my elders with such clumsiness again." They lifted their clawed hand upwards, offering him a handful of towels grabbed from the table.

Li Jing scoffed, glowering at them as he took the offered towels. "Insolent child." He grumbled, dabbing the remnants of wine from his clothes. "There is a reason we do not often allow your kind up here." At the word 'kind', Li Jing's gaze shifted to Nezha, and Rihe visibly bristled. They may be a demon, but the legacy of them and their fellow 'demon child' was needlessly cruel.

One breath in. One breath out. Two in, two out.

Rihe sighed, keeping their gaze cast to the floor. "Of course, general." Claws scratched across the gilded floor, and only Guanyin and Nezha could catch the mumbled "I shall make up for my entire species while I'm at it."

Guanyin loudly coughed into her wine, and Nezha choked on his drink for a moment, quickly brushing it off when his brother and father cast a glance at him. Rihe privately grinned, head still bowed in respect, but only those familiar with the child could sense the curled lips beneath the sheen of long hair as Rihe pranced back to their seat beside Nezha.

'Eh?' They nudged him in the shoulder, ear twitching in anticipation.

Nezha looked down at his drink, watching the juice ripples finally settle down. He sighed, slowly putting down his glass. 'Please don't do that again.'

Rihe's ears and tail drooped, nervously tapping a claw against the table. 'Sorry, Nezha. I didn't mean to make him angry…-er, I just hate having to "respect our elders" all the time... even when your dad sucks.'

The young god played with his bangle for a moment, hesitating. 'Me too. But I don't want him to...'

A squeeze to his hand interrupted the memories of gilded pagodas that threatened to rise up, and he turned to see Rihe squeezing his hand, an extremely guilty expression on their face. 'I'm really sorry, Naza. I promise I won't do it again.' Rihe looked around the table as the officials talked, looking for something to make up for it. '...Do you want my walnuts?'

Nezha wrinkled his nose at the walnut offered to him. 'I'm not eating your walnuts, Rihe. Why'd you even get a shrimp and walnut dish if you don't like it?'

'I didn't have a choice! Master started piling everything she could see on my plate.'

'My condolences, but suffer with your walnuts.'

'Noooooo!' Rihe threw their paws up in dramatic betrayal, causing their best friend to snort.

'Oh, shut up.' Nezha rolled his eyes, flicking their forehead with a wisp of flame. Rihe giggled, finally finishing their silent theatrics before turning back to their plate.

...

"RIHE, STOP SLIPPING WALNUTS ONTO MY PLATE!”

[quitealotofsodapop]

OP. What you mean she had a twin?! OP

Prev.

Ah, you noticed.

Well you see... of the biggest divergent factors of the alternate Stone Matriarch world is the fact that Shihua herself was unexpectedly born a twin.

Twin girls; Shihua and Shihuan - their parents' little flower and joy. Thick as thieves, though the younger of the two was very much a tomboy compared to her more regal, feminine sister.

In the other world; where Shihua survived the Great Flood due to Flower Fruit Mountain being spared by a great magic shield.... Shihuan had been outside of it.

Shihuan's final words were to tell her twin sister that she would be back soon. She had been busy leading people from the outer islands to the Mountain to get them to higher ground. She was lost in the tide.

Shihou was named to honour his lost aunt. The fact he was born a twin was seen as a bittersweet blessing.

But why was Shihua born a twin?

Random chance.

First Princess Songzi's soul had planned to inhabit one body, but the egg that housed it, split into two.

Which is likely for the best, as Guanyin still needs to exist in some capacity.

Shihua and her sister are reunited during a fateful Peach Banquet;

Guanyin & Moksa: (*arrive late to the Peach Banquet. The palace is pretty much trashed, and the throne room is in chaos.*) (*before the Jade Emperor is a tiny monkey demon, screaming at her rowdy sons, while also pleading for the gods to spare them*) Moksa: "Umm... did we miss something fun?" Nezha: "Oh hi bro, you made it! So uh... the princes of the Stone Monkey kingdom have caused a lot of trouble. They invited all of their friends to the Peach Orchard and ate all the food for some kind of a protest. And now three of Lao Tzu's Pills are missing. Their mama is over there trying to reason with Xiwangmu and the Jade Emperor." Guanyin: (*recognises something about the Matriarch's soul*) Guanyin: "Hmmm... I believe I can sort things out." Nezha: "I hope you can. Lao Tzu was talking about putting both of them in the Furnace." (*Guanyin approaches the throne, the room quiets at her presence. The Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu have a mixture of confusion and joy on their faces*) Jade Emperor: "Ah, dear. You've finally made it. But I'm afraid that the Banquet will not go ahead this year." Xiwangmu, glaring at the monkey brothers: "All because of certain insolent cubs!" (*Shihou and Luzhen wince at the Queen Mother's glare & tone*) Guanyin: "I am aware of that. What I do not understand why you are treating my nephews so harshly." The Whole Court + Monkeys: "Nephews!?" Guanyin, sly smile as they approach Shihua: "Remember when I first met you all? You could not tell me apart from Songzi - my first life. It took my many days to convince you all that I was born of different flesh." The Imperial Court: (*nod and mutter in agreement*) Guanyin: "I've had suspicions since my enlightenment that I was missing part of myself. And I believe I have found her." Shihua, confused: "Excuse me, bodhisattva? I do not believe we know each other. Even in passing." Guanyin: "In this life no... but after I was Songzi, I was a stone monkey like yourself. One which shared everything with you... Even our egg." Shihua: (*covers her shocked gasp with her hand*) Guanyin: (*smiles as Shihua in a shockingly familiar way*) Guanyin, briefly possessed by Shihuan's spirit: "I told you I'd be back soon, jiejie." (*Shihua embraces the goddess as if she was her own flesh and blood, uncaring of the shocked shouting and questions flying all around them. Her sons are looking extremely confused but hopeful.*)

The reveal that the Matriarch standing before the Jade Emperor and Queen Mother was in fact, the missing half of their eldest daughter's soul; nearly sends the couple to the floor.

Mainly because they almost unknowingly sentenced their *grandcubs* to a terrible fate!!! And to a lesser degree, the Jade Emperor learning that his daughter was half-a-monkey now.

Shihou and Luzhen's sentences are quickly changed from Death, all the way down to Community Service. Guanyin doesn't care for the favouritism, but will invoke it to spare their spiritual sister any more grief.

Shihou is stuck cleaning the imperial stables for the next 500 years. With Luzhen as a cupbearer/jester.

(Xiwangmu still tries to spoil her spiritual grandsons when she can. She knows from experience with Guanyin that Shihua would likely not appreciate the doting the Queen Mother is known for giving her daughters.)

Shihua took some time to understand the context of what had happened. She was not well versed in how the Celestials view past lives/reincarnations, and part of her wanted to believe Guanyin's demonstration to be all a cruel but effective trick the Bodhisattva played on the court.

But Guanyin allows Shihuan to project her spirit many times afterwards so that the sisters can bond once more. Shihua figures that she now has not only her sister back, but another sibling as well. :)

[zwy01]

Noble OCs - Siriana

Making five OCs for every clan!

Tianming Siriana: Pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Lagus’ generation.

Tianming is smart, cunning, and manipulative. He takes great pride in being a noble and enjoys flaunting the power he possesses. His favorite pastime is playing with humans and pulling on their puppet strings. The world is his little ant farm and he views humans as brainless ants who only know how to move around in circles. A long time ago, a very bored Tianming wanted to spice things up. If human history was a canvas, he wanted to be the painter. Tianming used his noble superpowers to make himself look like he descended from the heavens and blessed the humans with his presence. Then, he announced himself as one of the gods, and told the humans about the “Mandate of Heaven”; something about there only being one legitimate ruler at a time, and if a king rules unfairly he could lose heaven’s approval, etc. The humans were in total awe and soaked up his teachings like a sponge. Little did they know it was nonsense he made up on spot because he just wanted to stir up drama. Tianming often disguised himself as a human and dwelled amongst them, taking part in rebellions to overthrow rulers he helped to establish in the past. He’d partake in the creation of a new dynasty, play with them for a little while, and accelerate the downfall of said dynasty once he gets bored. And this would be the norm for subsequent dynasties. Tianming’s having a blast with his little role-play game in the human world. He doesn’t fine-tune events for any particular outcome and simply enjoys being the steering wheel in the shadows. Even if it’s an anthill, he wants his piece of the ants’ treasure. The other nobles are aware of his unusual hobby and most are neutral. Some look at him with disdain, chaos-lovers cheer him on. Tianming doesn’t kill humans, so nobles who think he should be dealt with can’t do much about him. He has no urge to kill, but he doesn’t mind seeing people do it to each other. Their screams and cries make nice background music. Even better than an orchestra, how neat. Tianming is the father of Raizel’s brother, whom he had with the Previous Noblesse. He shows little to no emotion at her death nor does he acknowledge their son’s death. His exact relationship with the Previous Noblesse remains a mystery.

Guanyin Siriana: Pureblood. Entered eternal sleep, belonged to Gejutel’s generation.

Guanyin was the mother and predecessor of Zarga. She wasn’t exactly the best mother nor did she spend much effort in at least trying to be one. To her, Zarga was merely another noble amongst the crowd and she viewed him as an average acquaintance. His “special” connection to her existed solely because she gave birth to him and was his mother in simple terms. Precisely, she created him from a soul fragment. That was all. Guanyin didn’t exactly shun Zarga, but she never once referred to him as her son. To her, he was more like a younger colleague who had a permanent residence in her home. She didn’t show affection for him, and simply sat still and stared whenever he had his typical child moments. She heard him, but didn’t listen to what he had to say. She saw him, but didn’t integrate him into her field of view. Zarga had no one to praise him for his milestones nor did he have anyone to hold and comfort him when he felt sad. On the flip side, he was never punished for anything he did as long as he made progress with his education and training. He wasn’t the type to break rules for fun, but he was functionally free to do so to his heart’s desire. His mother would be the last person on this planet to discipline him. Guanyin’s concern for Zarga was minimal. He was her heir, she was his Clan Leader; their relationship stopped there. She treated him with respect and even bowed to him like she would in a greeting with another noble of similar status. She completely ignored the child part of his identity and grouped him with her adult colleagues. She never held him in her arms. Zarga’s other parent and soul fragment donor had no role in his life either. Zarga’s birth was planned a long time ago, when his other parent owed Guanyin a favor in his youth thus offered to have a soul fragment available for her when she needed one for her heir. The absence of reliable parental figures in Zarga’s life meant he felt lonely at times. From his mother’s perspective, her lack of any sort of emotion towards her son wasn’t her being personal at all. Rather, she felt almost nothing for her own kind in general. She had her duty towards her clan and fellow citizens of Lukedonia, and she did a good job. No one could ask her to be involved beyond that in any of their business.

Ironically, Guanyin was known as the “Goddess of Mercy and Compassion” in the human world. She felt neutral towards her own kind but loved humans unconditionally. She offered comfort to them. She was their spiritual and physical savior. She represented compassion, mercy, and love. The free time she could’ve spent with Zarga was always given to the humans without any hesitation. Guanyin was truly dedicated to her cause. She was revered as a goddess for a good reason. Perhaps Guanyin’s blatant favoritism sowed a seed of bitterness in Zarga’s heart. To add insult to injury, Guanyin addressed the humans as her “children”, which was a luxury Zarga never got to experience. Zarga was reluctant to admit that he missed his mother and tried to convince himself that he didn’t need her. He hated how he wanted her to notice him and felt pathetic. Guanyin was many people’s savior, yet never once reached out to the one who needed her most.

Caishen Siriana: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to the Previous Lord’s generation.

Caishen is charming and optimistic. His special talent is being lucky. The world somehow always has coincidences set up so he avoids everything that could possibly harm him. It’s as if he has an invisible shield following him around at all times. This may sound like a blessing, but it’s a minor huge inconvenience on his part. A perfectly fine table would collapse just because he’s about to stub his toe from being careless and not looking at where he’s walking. Dang, what a pity, that table was a real work of art. Or he’s about to accidentally trip himself and rather than falling onto the floor, there’s always someone nearby and he’ll fall on them instead and he’s fine because they took the blow for him. For this reason, the nobles all avoid him because they think he’s going to bring them bad luck. Everyone thinks he’s unlucky. Nobles look at his friends and wonder why they even hang out with him. Caishen is naturally clumsy but learns to be more careful to not let his luckiness cost others their wellbeing. He also tries his best because he doesn’t want his belongings to keep destroying themselves. Caishen carries red envelopes with handwritten letters, candies and toys stuffed inside on him at all times and gives them to people he likes. Then he exclaims “gong xi fa cai!” and laughs. Nobles eventually come to appreciate his gifts and affectionately calls them “Caishen’s unlucky red envelopes”. His quirky gift-giving ritual spreads to the human world and inspires “lucky red envelopes” filled with money in some human cultures. Even his gibberish catchphrase becomes a classic verbal blessing humans exchange with friends and family. Caishen has a Chinese dragon buddy named Jikuai and the two of them go on adventures in the human world once every twelve years. They visit villages and give out gifts of money, food, and other goods to residents. The humans mark their calendars and every twelfth year is the Year of the Dragon. Caishen and Jikuai are very flattered. To humans, they are the bringers of good fortune and prosperity. How flattering! Caishen’s hobby is making sycees.

Ganesha Siriana: Non-pureblood. Alive in the present day, belongs to Raskreia’s generation.

Ganesha is a bit shy. He usually wears an elephant headdress covering his own head entirely and only takes it off around people he knows. He speaks in two different voices depending on whether he has his headdress on or off. His friends ask him why he does his voice changes and to be frank he doesn’t know either. Ganesha is very intelligent. He was born with a gift, and he also spends a lot of time studying in the library tower Minerva. He’s very well acquainted with the Paradiso scholars there, and they often engage in deep conversations on all kinds of subjects. The scholars miss him when he’s busy and can’t come, and look forward to each of his visits. He tends to not announce when he comes and goes, so they hope he does remember to drop by. Ganesha’s creative thinking skills are excellent and nobles go to him for advice sometimes. He’s smart, cool, dignified, and elegant. That is, until he sees sweets. He goes extra crazy for pastries and won’t calm down until he’s had his fill. Thank goodness they’re nobles and overeating isn’t really detrimental to them. Ganesha is the person who stuffs his friend Geirmundr Landegre’s mouth with a cake to show him a new world. Geirmundr becomes a baker and in his career, he creates a very tasty dessert he names modaka, which is Ganesha’s all-time favorite. Ganesha has a supernatural giant rat friend named Kroncha and they’re inseparable. Sometimes Ganesha rides Kroncha on walks. Ganesha has two partners, Buddhi and Siddhi.

Erdene Siriana: Non-pureblood. Entered forced eternal sleep, belonged to Gejutel’s generation.

Erdene was the younger sister of Harald Siriana, the mother of Valentina Mergas, and the caretaker and tutor of Zarga Siriana. Erdene was sweet, empathetic, and patient. Zarga’s mother Guanyin being uninvolved in raising him meant that he spent his early years rotating between countless caretakers and nannies. They were Siriana clan members arranged to take care of Zarga in Guanyin’s stead because she couldn’t spare time for her own son. Some of them agreed it would’ve been better for their future Clan Leader to have his mother in his life, but they were in no place to suggest that to Guanyin. They could only listen to her orders as they had no say in such matters. The caretakers’ faces all blur in Zarga’s memory. Since there were so many of them and each only stuck around for short time, they often left just as he was about to grow attached to them, and that was very stressful for a young Zarga. Guanyin’s arrangements for her heir would continue to overwhelm him, until Erdene stepped up. While the other caretakers left as soon as their part of the job had been completed, Erdene couldn’t bring herself to leave behind the child who clutched onto her sleeves. His grip was weak, signaling that she was free to pull away as he didn’t expect her to stay with him even though he wanted her to. Erdene stayed with Zarga and requested to meet with Guanyin, and proposed that she would like to be the young heir’s primary caretaker. Guanyin, with her usual disregard for her son, agreed to the proposal. She didn’t care about who took care of him as long as he had someone. Erdene and Zarga grew very close to each other and he called her “Miss Erdene” and later “Mother”, which started when he had a slip-up because he viewed her as one and got confused for a second. He was flustered and promptly apologized for his mistake, but a teary-eyed Erdene insisted that he could call her that. He teared up too, and they shared a happy embrace. When Zarga became a little older and more independent, Erdene took up the role of tutor and instructed him on Clan Leader duties because Guanyin was nowhere to be seen yet again. If we’re being nice, she had full trust in Erdene’s competence with her heir. If we’re being honest, she was too busy saving humans to even remember that her son existed. Fortunately, Guanyin’s continued absence in Zarga’s life didn’t bother him as much anymore because he had his beloved Erdene. He sort of had a sister as well, though she wasn’t too keen on calling him her brother despite thinking of him as one. Erdene’s daughter Valentina, the Mergas heir, sometimes studied with Zarga and the children were close. They were similar in age and personality, and though the two clans had different educational systems, there were some overlapping areas so they occasionally shared study sessions.

Unfortunately, tragedy would follow and both Valentina and Zarga’s happiness came to an abrupt end during their teenage years. Erdene truly wanted to help Zarga, after all. She was his mother figure in practice, but she also hoped that his real mother would pay more attention to him. As much as Zarga appreciated the sentiment, he was more or less annoyed with Erdene’s unwavering persistence with her futile efforts regarding Guanyin. To him, it was a bit like her saying she was planning on leaving him, which would be a wrong assumption on his part. On Erdene’s part, she thought maybe Zarga still longed for his “real” mother and hoped to help him reconnect with her. This mutual misunderstanding drove an invisible wedge between them. One day, Zarga grew tired of Erdene’s refusal to let go of the impossible and in a split second, he snapped at her and told her that she shouldn’t try to meddle with his life because she wasn’t his real mother anyway, and at least his mother never bothered him. Zarga regretted it immediately, but his pride kept him from apologizing. Erdene was hurt, but blamed it on herself and quietly left after apologizing to Zarga, which just made him feel even worse. Unbeknownst to them, that would become their last interaction. Erdene left Lukedonia in hopes of finding a suitable gift for Zarga to cheer him up, but was unfortunately ambushed and killed by werewolves on her way back. Zarga was devastated, and so was Valentina. Their friendship ended when Valentina called him her mother’s killer. Zarga, feeling numb and guilty, accepted Valentina’s accusation. Erdene’s funeral was short and simple. Zarga didn’t attend because Valentina told him she’d kill him if he dared to show up. When Erdene was alive, her hobby was making mooncakes.

Thank you for reading! Drosia is next!

[tickledpink31]

Friendly fires… although one time was more of a happy accident.

[selkies-and-cycles]

Finally making an LMK OC design I actually like??? Apparently possible!

Anyways. Meet Rihe(?), disciple of Guanyin and Nezha's kind-of-adopted sibling <3

[applesauce-drawz]

Taking a mini break from Twst content, I bring you some LMK oc content 😎

His name is Xiaoey! And he’s Guanyin’s reincarnate

I’ll give more info on him tmr teehe

Video actor by the one and only @imaginnqtor