#he has a nimbus cloud and the hair...

[itsabouttimex2]

Hi, I was wondering if you could do platonic yandere monkiefam and bull demonfam with a younger sibling/child that is blind but can sense vibrations, like toph from Atla

Monkiefam with a blind Y/N

Out of all three of them, MK struggles the most with your blindness. He means well, he really does! You didn’t grow up with the ability to sense vibrations and interpret them- you had to learn. And sometimes he thinks back to the days before you did, comforting you in his arms after a nasty spill brought on by a rearranged environment. He thinks back to getting into fistfights with bullies and pranksters, how he would see red each time someone would snatch things away from you or knock you over- and he remembers the feeling of teaching them to keep their hands off of you.

“I’m not trying to baby you,” MK loudly insists as you struggle in his grip. “But you need to take this with you if you’re going so far out!”

The two of you continue to struggle against one another as your older brother tries in vain to pin a tracking device to your backpack, notably holding back so he doesn’t hurt you. “C’mon, please?! Just let me put it on already!” MK lessens the force he’s exerting on you, deciding to try and barter instead. “You don’t even have to keep it on! Just for today, Y/N!”

Predictably, his attempts at diplomacy fail and you’re left to wrestle even more fervently in his grip, trying your absolute hardest to writhe free.

And then something slips under your shirt- a fluffy, prehensile tail that writhes against your ribs and leaves you in a giggling fit, MK free to stuff the tracker somewhere deep inside your bag. “Monkey King! Knock it off,” you wail out, fighting against his playful assault. “Stop!”

“Nope! Hate to be a joykill, bud- but I agree with MK. You’re taking the tracker if you wanna head out to that new cafe. Honestly, I don’t see why you wanna go at all when I could just whip something up with my-“

“I am not eating hair! Now get your tail off me!”

It’s incredibly frustrating, the way they treat you. It’s not quite to the point that you’d say they’re infantilizing you with their actions, but it can come very close.

MK’s babying is mostly tolerable, given that it comes from a lifetime of watching over you before you learned to sense vibrations and find your way around. He was there for you at your absolute lowest, and he’s not gonna forget all the people that messed with you because you looked like an easy target. Still, as you grow older his actions feel less ‘protective’ and more ‘stifling’.

Sun Wukong is far, far more irritating. You’re just too easy to scoop up! He can sneak up behind you on his cloud and sweep you into his arms and keep you there for hours on end as you struggle and kick, futilely trying to escape his furry grip. No vibrations can travel through the misty mounds of his nimbus mount, leaving you well and truly helpless in his arms.

The Great Sage’s intention isn’t to make you feel weak or vulnerable, but he certainly won’t raise a fuss as you squirm into his lap so you can at least feel the vibrations that race through his body with each breath he takes- it’s something, at least. Wukong twists around a little to accommodate your body, letting your head rest again this chest, listening to his thrumming heartbeat. The outline of his body flashes in your eyes, something to ground and settle you.

“Dad’s gotcha, bud/hun… I’ve gotcha…”

As for your other ‘dad’, Macaque mostly watches you from afar when you’re with Wukong and MK. He prefers to step in when he has the chance to have you all to himself, springing umbral portals underneath your feet, the shadowy pit dropping you from the ceiling and into his arms with a smug: “Hey kiddo-going somewhere?”

And before you can yell at him for springing this nonsense with you again, you pause, because… hey, why not use a chance when you’ve got it?

“Dad,” you start, forcing the awkward word off your tongue. Already, the sable simian perks up, his ego stroked at your acknowledgement of the role he wishes to take. “I’m heading to a café. You want me to bring you something back?”

Macaque traces a clawed finger across the bottom of your face, curving up in a semi-circle motion: cheek to chin to cheek. His way of telling you: ‘I’m smiling’. Softly, his palm comes to cup your cheek.

“I’ll take you there myself, kiddo.”

It’s not that he’s a better person than MK or Sun Wukong. In fact, he’s a lot worse. He was a vindictive, egotistical villain not too long ago. You think of the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, smashed to pieces, it’s residents displaced and it’s people injured. Men. Women. Children. Each of them, innocent. Mere collateral damage to the simian.

He’s displayed no remorse or regret for his actions. The only thing he’s felt shame for is his long-ago submissiveness to his sworn brothers.

He’s not a good person. Not in the slightest.

But he’ll try to be one. If only for your sake.

Bullfam with a blind Y/N

It’s easy to feel out of place here. Your parents and brother are demon warriors, powerful celestials, prideful members of their esteemed and feared clan. Your vibration technique is nothing short of impressive, if not outright groundbreaking, but it hardly holds to the level your kin can reach.

It doesn’t help that you are rarely given the opportunity to prove your worth, no matter how you strive and fight for those precious chances.

Instead, you’re often relegated to support and menial chores, your family finding worth in your services by putting you to task with (safe) time-consuming labor. And you… kind of enjoy it? Because instead of “Don’t touch the laundry machine, you don’t know what you’re doing”, it’s “Y/N, clear the table and bring us the grimoire we unearthed last month,” Princess Iron Fan says, brushing some hair behind your ears and clipping it into place.

You shouldn’t be so happy about such a mild thing, shouldn’t be happy to be commanded and directed. But it’s proof that they don’t see you as entirely helpless, and allow you to contribute in some way, even if it’s small.

There’s a degree of normalcy in it, something you crave. To be treated like a regular member of the family, responsibilities and all.

Unlike the Monkiefam, Y/N doesn’t have much freedom before they learn their vibration technique. The Bullfam keeps you on a much shorter leash, often locking you in your room during fights or training, refusing to let you potentially wander into harm’s way. MK would carry you across the street to keep you safe while still giving you a chance to explore the city with him, Red Son would lock you in your room and serve you exclusively blended meals to keep you from making a mess and spilling things on yourself.

Secretly, he misses making those drinks for you. It was a very strange and unwanted; if surprisingly heartfelt, way of caring for you.

After all, they got used to the ways they took care of you. Learning to utilize the vibration technique teaches you how to be independent, but also shakes up the dynamics you have with your family. No more being gently bundled around the fortress on the Demon Bull King’s hands, for example. He used to scoop you into his palms and let you sit there, safely nestled into plush purple fur. His steps grow more cautious now that you absolutely insist on walking on your own (and your father does want to make you happy, so he begrudgingly allows you to wander the walls alone) the taurine warlord doing his best to keep from crushing you underfoot.

Not that they’re suddenly going to stop being obsessed with your safety and welfare. You are still under strict orders and schedules, and they don’t go easy on you for breaking them.

And if you ever do step out of line?

Red Son has an incredibly devious method of punishment for you- snow boots.

Sounds like a joke, right? It sounds funny, almost. Your parents don’t seem to mind all too much, and Red certainly derives are least a little bit of amusement from the scenario.

It’s not funny to you, though.

The matter of getting punished for exerting basic control over your life aside- they’re taking away your crutch. Without a thought of how helpless and vulnerable you feel as result, how terrified you are to be plunged into darkness again, how bad it hurts to remember the days you spent crying as child, scared and alone when you got lost, no way to find the path home.

He’ll feel bad for doing this to you, eventually. He always does, no matter how many times he swears that this will be the time he’ll “Make you wear them for a full hour, and it will be raised to two if you complain, Y/N!”

You’re wrapped in a blanket and drinking tea with him by the time a half-hour has passed.

He loves you, after all. Even if he thinks of you as a blithering little idiot sometimes- you’re still his cherished little sibling.

[olinblogin]

VALENTINES DAY HEADCANONS

LEGO MONKIE KID

MK (Qi Xiation)

Probably not the most extravagant date ever, he’ll but you chocolates, maybe a flower/bouquet if he has enough money. You two will likely have a little date in his room, watching Monkey King movies and eating junk food, also makes you little drawings or paper flowers.

Mei Dragon

Probs a nice ride around all these pretty places on her bike, good food, likely won’t go to her house though. She’s gonna buy you pretty things with her money, you two likely end up at the arcade.

Pigsy (platonic)

Teaching you how to make noodle dishes, he loves sharing his family recipes with people. Probably hit you over the head with a spoon.

Tang (platonic/romantic you decide)

He doesn’t do much, never really seen outside the noodle shop. He probably gets you a little rose and a card.

Sandy

Takes you to a cat cafe, rambles about the ingredients inside whatever tea he orders (he knows every single ingredient) and tells you about what breed cats are in the cafe.

Monkey King (Sun Wukong)

He took you on a cloud ride on his nimbus, wanted to be somewhere other than the Flower Fruit Mountain because he felt it would be too crowded with the other monkeys. Said “watch this” when he wanted to do a swan dive off his nimbus to impress you and face planted from 300ft in the air into the ground because he thought he’d land in the water.

Macaque

Simple little date in his Dojo, does little shadow-play’s for you and teaches you how to make shadow animals with your hands. You two ended up play fighting because he kept (playfully) insulting your shadow animal skills. Stargazing on the roof of his dojo.

Lady Bone Demon

She doesn’t celebrate it

The Mayor

Took you all around the city, he’s so hyperactive and likely stole things for you.

Demon Bull King/Princess Iron Fan (platonic)

Tried making you food and ended up burning it. Princess Iron Fan ended up having to remake the food for you after reprimanding her husband for nearly destroying the kitchen.

Redson

Very indecisive, overthinks things a lot. You two simply just made some noodles and had a little at home date instead of anything too extravagant.

Yin & Jin

One said a cafe date one said a stargazing date. These two were bickering like no tomorrow until you cut in and they settled on doing both, going to a cafe and stargazing.

Peng

He doesn’t give you a valentines.

YellowTusk (platonic)

Probably just spending quality time with you, nothing too big.

Azure Lion

Oh my god the gifts- probably would bombard you with so many chocolates. He spent so much time saying how much he appreciated you that you didn’t end up going on a date at all.

Spider Queen

Made the rest go off and get you gifts because she forgot it was Valentine’s Day, she praised You endlessly.

Syntax

He spammed your messages with little Valentine’s Day messages he’d find, you ended up getting over 200 messages that were valentines related.

Hunstman

You’d have to do the planning, he’s too stubborn and maybe a bit nervous to actually plan a date with you.

Strong Spider (Or Goliath)

Took you out to a little clearing in the forest for a picnic, nearly sobbed when you put a little flower in his hair.

Chang’e

She baked you a pretty heart cake and little heart cupcakes, all red velvet because she thinks it’s the most romantic flavor to make.

Nezha (platonic!!!)

He did not want to celebrate. After giving him some chocolates you managed to get him to say a begrudged “happy Valentine’s Day”

[residentialrabbit]

Time for some more demon/angel rulers! This month we got the gender non-conforming ones with Abaddonna Fiore (she/her) soverign of the Wrath ring and Principalities (he/him) the Seraphim of principalities angels. More info under break!

Abaddona is the picturesque image of what people think of when they hear the term “volatile”. A cold, detached, intimidating, enforcer created by Montgomery Tech to perfectly execute justice on sinners.

Though she has a sweet spot as she likes to write books filled with action, drama and plenty of romance! One of her stories even got adapted into a TV show and is Ramon's personal hyper fixation.

Meanwhile, Principalities is the Seraphim of knowledge and truth. I went with a big fluffy look for his hair as principalities true angel form is nimbus/cloud like. And yes, you read that right, Principalities goes by he/him pronouns

Principalities, along with Angel, are perhaps the seraphs closest to Cherubim in terms of both ideals and friendship but even then, given the current dichotomy of Utopia, that has been tested.

Principalities arm tattoos are also celestial runes that he will rearrange to make quick notes and glow when using magic.

Abaddona is 6'5 while Principalities is 4'8 !

Size comparison

[ambyandony]

Naramis Week 2023 (Day x)

@naramisweek

so sorry didnt get the chance to post earlier

so this is my take on the prompt.. i saw 'together|apart' and i waws like FUSION ARC FUSION ARC FUSION ARC

So this is the fusion of Mista and Narancia, dubbed Mistancia. He/him, aged at around 17.5, about 5'7.5" tall give or take, and user of the Stand 「Bird Of Prey」, which is functionally essentially a homing missile that, instead of heat-seeking, tracks CO2 emission. It's more 'rocket launcher' oriented than revolver-oriented. The 'gun' he's holding there is actually a part of that big launcher on his back there.

it's a bit overkill but thats half the fun. "what are you gonna do, shoot me?" "WORSE."

and heres the limbancia version plus some bonus mistancia x limbo interaction stuff. i was gonna also draw limbos fusions with the boys plus the triple fusion of all three but i didn't get around to it so for now I have this:

Mimbo, the fusion of Limbo and Mista, and their Stand 「Mighty Wings」, which, combining 「Cloud Nine」's signal disruption and 「Sex Pistols」' trajectory alteration, has the ability to redirect signals. I'm not sure where Mimbo got the tits. they don't know either but their hair is literally perfect

I don't have an image of Nimbo, the fusion of Narancia and Limbo, yet, and I don't want to show my friends pic of them without their go-ahead, so for now I'll just describe them:

Nimbo (also called 'Nimbus') Narancia + Limbo, they/them, 17 years old, approximately 5'4.'5", Stand is 「Hard On The Knees」 (also considered 「Fly Away」) and I'm not completely sure what it does but it probably has some limited control over CO2 rather than just detecting it..

Finally, the triple fusion (Minarimbo? Limarista? Mistarimbo?) has 「Free Bird」. He/they, about 17.5, ~5'7, I don't know what the Stand does.

[bearmemesreviews]

Skylanders Reviews: Lightning Rod

Welcome back to Skylanders Review: Spyro's Adventure edition. We'll be tackling our first Air Elemental with Lightning Rod, a character I don't actually have much to say about!

[Image: Lightning Rod is something called a Storm Titan, Blue Skinned Humanoids who have an entire Nimbus/Cloud instead of legs. He has green eyes, a large broad nose, and Chesnut brown hair. He's most likely based on Greek/Roman Gods, especially those who wield Lightning Bolts as weapons like he does, and thus he has long, magnificent hair and a full flowing beard. He's wears nothing to avoid covering up his massive pecs and shredded abs, but he does wear spiked golden bands on his wrists.]

Lightning Rod here is actually a trope I really like, even if he's otherwise quite plain when it comes to the Skylanders roster. I just like the silhouette of characters whose entire lower body is made up of condensation. The nimbus, aka clouds that are more solid than you'd think, are just cool and it makes sense to include a character that uses them in the first batch of Air types.

LR here is not a god despite his design, as Storm Titans are just the species that occupy the Cloud Kingdom he came from. His lore states that he was a Hometown Celebrity and was celebrated with praise and statues in his image. However, he found this life unsatisfactory and was immediately intrigued when Spyro visited the kingdom and told his own tales of adventure. LR was hooked on the stories and followed Spyro to seek Eon's audience in the hopes of becoming a Skylander as well.

He's another character that's fallen to the wayside, only getting a few scant appearances in the several spin-off books for the games. Even his second figure was just a new sculpt that doesn't change anything besides how many bolts he has.

Oddly enough the Complete Collection book I use as a secondary reference has an entirely different backstory, stating that Lightning casually blasted away Kaos when the little guy tried to take over a sporting event. This impressed Eon enough to get Rod recruited.

I do like the small detail that he can be distracted with his own reflection.

Motto: "One Strike and You're Out." A good Motto, not only does it tie into his power set, but it also incorporates a brag since in baseball it takes Three strikes before you're out.

2/5 Chompies out of Five. I can't really justify giving him anymore, since compared to other Skylanders he's rather forgettable. That doesn't mean he isn't a necessary representation of his monster archetype. He avoids a 1 thanks to Pretty Privilege.

Genuinely wondered if the read more was necessary.

[askthechronoverse]

Meet President Lum Nimbus and Prime Minister Jonah Scoville.

President Nimbus is part cloud. Depending on her emotion, you could see rumbles of thunder in her fluffy hair. She'll also occasionally rain. She had at one point led protests against the Doom Lords prior to the our boy RJ falling out of the sky and made herself a symbol of change in Frowntown

Prime Minister Scoville was installed by the Queen herself. He's from the planet of anthropomorphia and has shown a drive to clean up Ruinenlust and better work with the Unikingdom government to make Meraki a better place to live.

[sambadecomboscribbles]

Captain college au

Chapter 3

Chapters: 1/2/3

Got no self esteem and Vertigo.

Wood and graphite tap against the old wooden desk. A number 2 pencil. Bright yellow and pink.

Underneath its polished, prim surface laid truly graphic graffiti. Left behind by those who had the truly toughest looks and rebellious tendencies. Swears and phone numbers sat under the wood surface for those who dare to gaze upon their ink stained and graphite smeared words should look with caution. Hardened gum and taffy held the wood together like multicolor glue. The speckles of paint on the wood almost blended in with the grooves.

A dash of color for the colorless world.

…

Harold didn’t like this class much.

He was already starting to doze off from the professor’s rather monotone voice filling his head with words and words of nothingness. He closed his eyes, hair moving with gravity to cover his pale face with its curly shield. His hoodie almost like a blanket on his shoulders. The ratty cloth like a second layer of skin, the smell familiar with his scent.

It was like this every day.

He would walk in, sit down near one of the dust covered windows and listen to whatever weather played outside its glass pane. Some days, the sun shone in just right and like a cat, he soaked up the warm rays with a happy, content smile. He got lost in the sky’s paintings. Clouds dancing as they painted skirts of nimbus and hair of cumulus. He traced each ruffle with a shakily painted fingernail. Rainbow. On each digit. Painted by the upmost skilled painter Piqua has to offer.

Ah.

This was truly the life.

Harold yawned, a hand covering his unbrushed teeth and stifling his loud yawn in favor of keeping those actually paying attention, from being disturbed. He could’ve done with a few more hours of sleep. Or a few years of sleep. Give or take. It’s been like this for hours now. The droning, boring class.

Man.

Makes you wish for something more exciting on days like these.

…

Speaking of.

At the peak of boredom of class, each of their phones went off. A alert of yet another monster attack in downtown Piqua. Citizens are advised to stay inside and low as the monster is dealt with by those trained in these situations. The monster is said to be rapidly approaching central Piqua.

Harold scowled at his phone, rubbing his temples in annoyance as yet again, duty calls. He stood up from his desk, giving a wave to the frighteningly tired yet, on edge professor and quickly made his way out. He was known around school as the monster masher, the wrongful doer wrangler.

The guy who catches the bad guys and mutants.

The guy who gets knocked around and somehow, someway, keeps Piqua safe with little to no powers.

So, he was given a pardon whenever he had to skip classes to deal with such problems.

Which is now.

He tucked into an empty classroom, pulling his gauntlets out of his messy backpack. The reinforced cloth in his hands felt familiar in a painful way. The metal wrist and the spikes on the ends certainly gave his stomach more uneasy feelings. He carefully slid the gauntlets on, making sure the mechanisms inside lined up with the dot scars on his hands.

“…..”

He breathed in.

And out.

In…

Out…

…..

SMASH!!

He launched from the window with the force of a tornado. Broken glass scattered around the concrete pathway and inside the classroom. His skin glowing gently under his clothes as his veins filled with the green liquid. He skidded across the field, kicking up dirt as his shoes slid across the grass.

His fingers dug into the ground.

He shivered, looking up at the direction of smoke and fire. And took off running.

———

It was chaos.

Fire and crumbled buildings cover the streets. Smoke hung like a blanket over the sky. The smell of sickly sweet candy with the stench of ash and flames hung heavy. Chunks of gum and candy stuck to buildings, to people, covering the street in dark pink sludge.

The monster cried, slamming its hefty fist into the side of the building. People scream in terror as chunks of burning building fall towards them.

Though, it never connected.

A green blur shoved them away in time, safely moving those in danger aside to run for cover. He urged them to run, to go and never look back until it’s completely over.

Welp. Time to distract and take down.

“….”

Harold looked up at the gum monster, glaring his eyes. “OH COME ON!! YOU ARE SUCH A LOWSY SHOT!” He yelled, cupping his mouth to get his voice across the others gunk filled ears. “CMON! SHOW ME YOUR SCARY FACE BIG GUY!”

The creature leaned down, directly facing Harold. And roared, loudly into his face.

Harold’s hair blew back with the force of the air of the roar. Gum and other bits of candy stuck to his hair and face as the creature let him very clearly know it didn’t tolerate such rude words. “…..” He blinked, “okay, I see you aren’t exactly in a good space right now but I see you are plenty scary.”

He shrunk, as a large, pink, goopy fist reared back to slam into him. As it connected to the ground, the college student dodge rolled to the side, his hair sticking to his face. “WOAH!”

“RRRAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! GRAHHH!!!” The beast cried.

Harold pushed himself up, rearing his own fist’s back and punched into the gumy surface of the monster. “Alright dude! EAT FIST!” He yelled, his fist connecting with the gum and… got stuck. “HUH? Wait wait wait nononono! CMON! I NEED THAT BACK!” He cried, tugging hard on the stuck limb. Though, the arm did not unstick so easily.

As the Hero attempted to free his arm, the beast made its move. It continued its rampage on the city, dragging behind the hero as he flailed and attempted to get free. Punching and swiping at buildings, tearing things apart, eating cars. All while the hero felt sick from all the swaying.

Though, an idea struck.

As the monster ramped up, to swing at a poor, defenseless, just rebuilt after 6 months of building building, the hero used the momentum of the swing to push himself free, gauntlet and all. He skidded along the ground, landing in a heap.

“Not… cool…!” He hissed, pushing himself up onto his rump. “What even is this stuff?” He asked, pulling a chunk of the pink substance from his face and sniffed it. It smelled like bubble gum, with a hint of fruit flavor. “Gum?” He blinked, Tossing the bit into his mouth and sure enough, the flavor of gum hit him.

“Man, I love gum!”

“WAIT! NO! NOWS NOT THE TIME FOR THAT!” He yelled, pushing himself on both feet and spat the gum out to the ground. He looked up to the rampaging monster, the sickly pink color against the black shadows. “How do I defeat gum…?”

…..

…..

“Man, it sure is cold out…”

…..

…..

!

“I got it!”

He made a mad dash towards the beast, injecting more super power juice into his system to give him a good boost of speed. He grabbed hold of a fallen chunk of wall and threw it at the monster. “HEY! IM RIGHT HERE YOU WALKING PILE OF DELICIOUSNESS!! COME GET ME!” He taunted, tossing in a good measure of a raspberry. To really get his Jimmies mad.

The monster screeched, hunching down and pushing off the ground to pounce at Harold. Though, the hero was faster, digging into the ground and zigzagging as the beast tried to grab him.

He dodged once again, this time it was close. He felt the sticky flesh of the monster on the fibers of his hoodie. “NOT TODAY DUDE!” He yelled back, glaring at the beast. “GOTTA TRY HARDER THAN THAT!!”

As the chase continued, Harold kept the lead in the chase, his legs pushing against the street as his muscles burned with the power of the juice. He could feel his stamina burning away, only to replace the feeling with a rush of the burning of the super power juice. He just needed to keep it up until he made it….

He just had to.

As a building came into view, Harold grinned, moving to run to the back of the store and threw the door open. “NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, IM GONNA NEED YOUR FREEZER!” He shouted to the man behind the counter.

So, did his plan work?

To make a long story short,

The answer is yes.

You see, Harold led the gum monster into the freezer of Boss’s Butchery, locking the monster inside and blasting the freezer to freeze everything inside. Including the monster. He had pressed against the door, keeping the thing inside as the cold did its wonders. The gum hardening and cracking as the moisture in its flesh froze.

Soon, the threat was handled.

Harold stumbled from the freezer door, looking at Boss with tried eyes. “Yeah uhh… don’t open that for a bit.”

———

News footage of the hero of Piqua spread like wildfire amongst the campus students and faculty. The night sky painted a shade of orange and purple as the fires were put out long ago and all that remains is the smoke.

Melvin was driving their shared car, a nervous anger on his face. “….” On his phone in the passengers side, a few texts are visible.

-

[ H: Melvin, I’m good, shit was crazy but I’m near Piquasaurus if you need to find me]

[ M: YOU CANT KEEP SCARING ME LIKE THIS HUTCHINS! ITS COMPLETELY UNFAIR AND I WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!]

[ H: I got you fries]

[ M: we are talking when we get home.]

[ H: :shrug: Kay.]

-

He pulled up next to Piquasaurus pizza, parking the car and breathed out shakily. He looked towards the outdoor eating tables, spotting Harold sitting at one of them. “That idiot…” He snarled, unbuckling his seatbelt and tossing the car door open.

He stomped his way over, crossing his arms at the other’s beaten and bruised appearance, happily munching away at a slice of pizza. His hair covered in gum and leaves.

“Oh? Hey Melvin!”

“…..”

“Mel?”

The other pointed to the car with his thumb, “get in the car now, we are leaving.”

“….can I finish my slice first?”

[sxnburst]

I haven't made a thing about it yet through Rp-wise or anything, but Sun does have a few tattoos that he got fairly recently. He hasn't told anyone, but he does have a tattoo of a dragon that swirls around his right arm like in the photo, but the dragon doesn't stop at where that dragon in the photo does. The dragon stops a little over Sun's opposite shoulder and its mouth is open with a head in between teeth. It's safe to assume that this is Bentley.

On each and every one of the dragon's scale, one can spot a story being told about his journey in forms of different colored leaves and the amount of leaves on each scales. Since this is something he remembers now, he decided to get his journey with the companions he regained memories of and Tang Sanzang into those scales so he wouldn't forget. There's always fear that he will forget everything again.

He also has a couple of other tattoos sprinkled over and around the dragon. One of the tattoo is actually covering a series of numbers that had been engraved on the back of Sun's neck with hot iron. The tattoo over that number (this series of numbers were Bentley's birthday) is of a cloud named Nimbus and on Nimbus, there's actually a tattoo of half a peach!

He'd like to get more. He probably will. He has ideas.

Sun's hair is also this long. Long enough to put in a pony tail and with each passing day, his hair only grows longer. He did ask Nicolette if he'd be able to have long beautiful hair like her's one day! Strangely enough, his hair is changing colors. It's still got that golden brown tint to it, but his hair is getting a darker brownly gold.

Can y'all tell I'm thinking of once again switching his FC. This will be the last time too.

[neornuna]

The Apprentice

GENERAL

Name: Nimbus Race: Neomunian Cloud Strider Visible Age: 24

Actual Age: 27

Birth Date: 29/02/??

Resuscitation Date: 16/02/??

Gender: Nonbinary

Pronouns: they/them exclusively

Sexuality: Queer

Preference: ??

APPEARANCE Eyes: Olive Hair: Silver helm Height: 11’5” Body Type: Buff

PERSONALITY

Fun-loving, boisterous, overconfident and impatient, just like a rookie should be. They also tend to hide behind the veneer of simply being a Cloud Strider; they think themself infallible, a hero to all that needs to maintain face.

BACKGROUND

Only just recently resuscitated, and still testing the limits of their Cloud Strider abilities. Who they were before doesn’t matter; they’re a Cloud Strider now, and they have just under a decade to make their life a story worth telling, like other Cloud Striders.

////

The Master

GENERAL

Name: Rohan Race: Neomunian Cloud Strider Visible Age: 62

Actual Age: 79

Birth Date: 27/12/??

Resuscitation Date: 31/07/??

Gender: Male

Pronouns: he/him

Sexuality: Gay

Preference: Men

APPEARANCE

Eyes: One brown, one silver Hair: Silver helm Height: 12’9” Body Type: Buff Light Type: 

PERSONALITY

Stoic and grumpy, tending to use his age and his duty as both a guide for others and a shield for his own soft underbelly. He’s a man’s man, and to him, that means showing his vulnerabilities when he’s able to, and keeping in mind his weaknesses at all times.

BACKGROUND

Resuscitated seven years ago, having lost his own mentor about a year ago, his life has been a fulfilling one. He’s protected his home, guided another protector down the path, and found Vex secrets nobody would be able to believe on Earth. He’s got his hands full, but he keeps his head high despite it all.

[xaracosmia]

ꕥ — WELCOME TO MARE COSMIA, SUN WUKONG. 🌗

ꕥ  — OOC INFORMATION;

name / alias: blair / mouse age: 26 pronouns: any ooc contact: tumblr monkiespaw

ꕥ  — IC INFORMATION;

name: Sun Wukong age: Ageless immortal (1000+) pronouns: he/him series: lego monkie kid COUGH COUGH i mean journey to the west ofc canon point: post season 5 app triggers: monkey business

personality: (spongebob audio clip) OH BROTHER THIS GUY SUCKS.

Cheeky sarcastic monkey who loves a bit of monkey mischief. he is LAZY and a BUM- outwardly at least. he’s worked beyond hard for everything he’s accomplished, and continues to use his strength as it’s needed. he regrets many many many past life choices, but you know. He’s trying to do better. His self-confidence is as endless as his power is because if you can believe it, you can achieve it!!!!!!!!

something your muse struggles with: THE GREAT SAGE EQUAL TO HEAVEN HAS NO WEAKNESSES except maybe stage fright. your

muse’s greatest strength: physical strength. the blueprint for every op shonen character in history. his talent in senjutsu and combat is endless.

history / background: long long ago on the mountain of fruit and flowers, a monkey burst from a small stone, born of no family. for years, all monkey did was play with his fellow monkeys and live merrily, becoming the monkey king of the mountain.

but one day a horrible existential dread beset monkey, and he burst into tears, for fear of the day he would eventually die. so he became obsessed with learning the secrets of immortality. leaving his subjects behind, he traveled to the human world to find someone who could teach him. He found one (who gave him his name: Sun Wukong), he learned the 72 transformations, and then he got kicked out and left in tears with his sad little bindle back to his home.

then he started beating the shit out of everyone, gaining his famous staff and other artifacts, until everyone got so mad at this stupid monkey stealing their shit, that they told on him to the jade emperor of the celestial realm. as a measure to be able to watch Wukong and keep him out of trouble, he’s invited to live in the celestial realm and placed to work in the stables of the palace. Wukong was sooooo happy to finally be recognized for his might, until he learned that sweeping up after horses is a terribly lowly job. he gets so pissed off at the humiliation of it, that he starts beating everyone up again. he eats some heavenly peaches. he has the audacity to call himself the great sage equal to heaven and demands the Jade Emperor acknowledge it too. And then he beats up everyone the emperor sends after his ass. And you know what he sure as fuck tried to overthrow the jade emperor too, who then has the buddha trap him under a mountain 500 years repent you stupid monkey.

Lalala here comes a monk on a journey to the west (GASP) he frees Wukong in exchange for servitude. Wukong learns friendship and how to be humble or whatever. Classic hero’s journey shit. He reaches Nirvana and becomes the Buddha of Virtuous Fighting. Hundereds of years later he’s training (badly) some kid to become his successor #RETIRED

powers / abilities: 

Fuuuuuck

Transformation - The ability to transform himself, or other objects, into a variety of animals or things. 

Cloud Riding - the ability to summon and command a nimbus cloud to ride upon.

Size-manipulation - Can shrink or grow himself, and other objects at will.

Astral Projection - Able to project an image of his soul to another anywhere in the world, and communicate with them.

Telepathy - Able to communicate with people through their minds.

Duplication - Can use the hair of his body to create perfect clones of himself or other items.

Avoidance Charms - Makes him impervious to fire, lightning, and drowning.

Elemental-manipulation - able to breathe fire, create great gusts of wind.

inherent abilities: 

monkey

super strength

Truth-seeing eyes - Allows him to see through deceptions of demons, illusions, and lies.

items / weapons: 

bag of chips - theyre peach flavor

gaggle of monkeys - lieutenant monkey, general monkey, captain monkey,  and commander monkey. despite their names they are normal rhesus monkeys.

nezha's universal ring - some dumb ring that weighs so much it causes the earth the shake when it's dropped. pretty magical

Ruyi Jingu Bang — Wukong’s famous golden cudgel, boasting powers of transformation of its own. It’s infinite weight makes it impossible to lift, to anyone unworthy of controlling it’s power.

starting ability: cloud riding

starting item: monkies

extra: 

peace and love on planet monkey

discord id: monkie.king

[saltenspyke]

KYUUNOLO NIMBUS - "IMPERFECTIONIST - DETECTIVE AND FORENSICS INVESTIGATOR

My fav tsunshun cloud is finally here :3 admittedly I’ve been neglecting the fact that he is a “Imperfectionist” but I’ve been trying my best to be more accurate with his character.

An old old OLD ref made back in 2021 I swear I have better art of him. Looking back at his sprites though… I might just remake them :,) His anatomy is somewhat inaccurate btw... his sprites not that good

btw the previous ref in wp might be outdated, since I have changed some things in regards to his backstory.

✦✦✦✦

A harsh young man toned and perfected in the disciplined life of a police officer... From afar, many read him as a soldier prince with straightforward and honest commands of his piers, whom he governs with upmost criticism and strict orders. He may also be read as a stuck-up adult who has not had his ego kicked in the shins...

When in reality, he's a rather docile and stubborn man who simply wishes for the best of his colleagues and for those around him. He's stubborn and rough up-front, and that is simply his character. However, there are some flaws to him, such as his anger scaring many of his potential friendships away, and him having trouble with his feelings and reciprocating them.

A tsunshun, through and through,

✦✦✦✦

He is around 25 years old (prev. 29, but that's waaay too old and weird) and currently single. Many women try to get under into his pants, but he easily knocks them away, as they do not ever procure his interest... and besides, most of them are creepy strangers!! Well, except for his female friends... but they usually back off, like Fuchsia.

He has attraction towards women and is not repulsed towards romance or intimacy (in fact he likes it a lot), he just does not prioritize it. He only wishes that they understand him and they do not shun him. Same thing with men... he can only feel emotional attraction for them though. (Him being attracted to men is rare as well.)

✦✦✦✦

He works a Forensics Investigator and Detective/Homicide Investigator at the Special Homicidal Investigations Bureau. He's treated as the head honcho, and has many admirers... He tends to whip them into shape quick, though.

✦✦✦✦

His species is that of a Terra Nubes, essentially a cloud humanoid species that originates from their quadrupedal ancestors who once ruled the sky. Due to evolution, they've become more docile creatures. Also, the ref's anatomy of him is incorrect, and will be redrawn sooner or later.

✦✦✦✦

He's 231 centimeters tall, essentially 7''7. Taller than the average of his species, mostly due to him working out.

✦✦✦✦

His in-game voice might be a minor piano chord, or it could be something else that's more disciplined to hear.

✦✦✦✦

He speaks English and German. (also Japanese, if the mod gets localized prob never lol) He learned both at the same time, so he is bilingual.

✦✦✦✦

He has a positive feeling in regards to Forensics, Investigation (gives him that detective high), Lobster (LOVES it), Close contact [hugging, etc.] (but not when he has his alone time), Strategy Games, Card Games, Japanese Literature/Shows (Don't tell!). He also works out, but he doesn't have a public social media!! :<

He has a distaste for being alone (emotionally) incompetence (within his workforce; you're an officer, shape up or get terminated.), Laziness/Dispassion (if he makes an effort to text you a full happy birthday, you MUSTN'T simply text him HBD. Happy Bday? Sure, but that's on thin ice.) Perfection, Terrorism, Gangs, and... Soda. Carbonation makes his hair go wild, and the taste is that of lazily distilled liquid to him. There was something else, but... I don't want to say it.

✦✦✦✦

His birthday is on January 2nd, where it is usually the cloudiest and foggiest in his once hometown.

✦✦✦✦

Was a huge Boyfriend fan (and still is) and secretly has a mini-poster of him within his luxury apartment. In real life, he considers him to be a vital friend, and similar to foolish fox. Loves Fuchsia Mizzta, and cares for her deeply. May see her as more than a friend. (ship bait) Loves Bernard D'acquisto platonically, and couldn't live without him. (his words, which were summarized after a six-paragraph long response.) Tolerates, but fears Gladwyn Griffin. Admires Girlfriend's hair. Doesn't know her or care for her.

✦✦✦✦

Biography... spoiler, 'emo' phase.

Kyuunolo Inigo Nimbus was born within Deutschland with his sharp-witted mother (though somewhat perplexing), Amilia Nimbus, and had two older brothers, Aldokyu (Al-dough-kyuu) and Sratokyu (s-RA-to-kyuu). His life within Deutschland is pure nostalgia for him, but that nostalgia may also sting within his mind and remind him of what occurred in the past. Many things happened, but he does not discuss them easily. The following is what was gathered, even at the expense of straining pain and emotions.

Due to their looks, the children could barely make any friends within their hometown; being seen as freakshows, they were home-schooled by their mother whilst she worked. This was quite taxing, so she requested that her dark and dreary assistant of hers teach them as well... Kyuunolo cannot remember his name.

Several months after he had turned nine, an incident occurred and he was forced into a bunker. Thinking that his siblings and his mother would return one day, he stayed within the undergrounds for two weeks, but eventually had to resurface due to his deteriorating lung health, as his species must stay above ground to stay alive. Looking back at this moment, he realized what caused his fear of being alone.

When resurfacing, he was already incredibly stressed and an anxious mess, but was treated by those who encountered him within his once warm, and though bleak also somewhat bright he could find some solace in, now raided, ripped, teared, dilapidated, and ruined, as a freakshow.

After that incident, he was forced to travel outside of his hometown, into the wilderness, all by his lonesome, for a week. He could only sustain himself with stale, wistful cherry strudels, bread, and stolen apples from previously occupied shops. He traveled with his mother's red notebook, which most notes had been confiscated, but pages are the same. He was then seen eating the last cherry strudel on the curb of some street, before being taken in by an orphanage caretaker.

He could not remember who the caretaker was for the life of him. Neither did he remember whom the children were who had ridiculed him for his dark demeanor and strange looks. Some had even went as far as physically assaulting him, though those attempts were soon counteracted after Kyuunolo was taught jiu jutsu and how to be more mobile by the caretaker.

However, fighting does not always bring sweet the fruits of victory. You can only taste blood sometimes. His reputation at the orphanage was at an all time-low, being labeled as the aggressive freakshow, even worse, a monster. It only built up his anger more, his fierce attitude snapping at all who even dare to interact with him. His fear for loneliness and intense anxiety could only build up from there on. At least, he had lots of time to study...

Finally alleviating him, he was then adopted at the age of 13 by an unidentified man who could only be described as "Eintönig, dunkel und direkt aus einem Roman von Charles Dickens.".

The man educated him in the tongue of the western (and/or the eastern if the mod ever gets localized in JP/other languages), pushed in the fray of various mysteries, whodunnits, and complex, gray-moral cases, with his only requests that he "look between lines" and "absorb the fog, filter it, and dispense the silver liquids of truth." Well that's... the- the man was innocent, just as Kyuunolo was at that age.

To make very long stories and lengthy situations short, Kyuunolo had many paychecks and greenery paid to his bank account thanks to the man's assistance.

However, it is to be noted that Kyuunolo had struggled immensely within the educational social world, specifically with his identity and how he viewed himself. He used to dislike himself a lot back in the day, but was only kept sane thanks to a woman the same age as him who whipped him back into shape multiple times, who not only reprimanded, chastised, and told him off, also cried over, and lost sleep (in a not healthy way) over him. Though, the unknown man did help as well. Just not as much, as he was not well-worded in terms of emotional development.

Years of development, disciplined honing of intelligence, polishing of the muscles (and brain) raised the young man into the stoic, stern (yet sympathetic) police officer that he is today. The unknown man knew that keeping him in his home country would only do him more harm... Thus suggested he move to the country where the game takes place.

Kyuunolo Nimbus soon moved to the country several years later, at age 16, he lived in a luxurious apartment (he thinks of mansions as large and unnecessary) and currently lives alone.

Of course, he then attended the law school Bernard attended.

The two did not get along well. At all, at first; what started off as a disagreement between peers soon became a passive-aggressive war of various attempts at one-upping, soon mutated into a much more disgusting relationship. The only way the two managed even to get along finally, was when they bonded... in a way that Kyuunolo will refuse to tell me! Great.

Well, after they graduated, the two parted, thinking it was the both for both worlds. The relationship they had was horrific at best. A year in Germany passed... Before Kyuunolo longed to return to the country again.

They soon met at the most unconventional time for reuniting.

TL;DR Kyuunolo Nimbus was born in Deutschland with his mother Amilia, and his older brothers Aldokyu and Sratokyu. Due to his strange looks, he and his family were ostracized by the community. When he was nine, he was forced into a bunker for several weeks, before resurfacing for air to realize his hometown was attacked. He barely survived as he traveled to look for a new home, and was taken in by an orphanage. He had been bullied in the orphanage, thus learned jiu jutsu from his caretaker in order to combat the children. Due to this violent nature, he was never adopted until an odd man adopted him when he was 13. This man educated him well on language, intelligence, skill, wisdom, healthy physique, and more. However, young girl whipped him into emotional and mental shape in the sidelines, as the odd man was not well-versed in emotions himself. He soon moved to where the country the game takes place in, and attended the law school where Bernard attended, where they both quickly began to hate each other, but slowly began to tolerate as the years ended. After they graduated, Kyuunolo left to (briefly) return to Deutschland, only to return at the most inconvenient time.

✦✦✦✦ FUN FACTS SECTION!!!

Kyuunolo doesn't really like pets, He's had good experiences with cats, but dogs tend to bite at his 'hair', which irritates him. The K9s assigned to his bureau are highly trained though, to not bite his 'hair'. According to the head K9, it's really hard not to though.

Kyuunolo's 'hair' is not influenced by his emotions, rather his environment. It might become dissipate if he is angry through. He complains of it getting out of control on foggy days.

Kyuunolo truly does want to get along with his friends, especially Bernard, but struggles to show it.

Kyuunolo really likes literature and shows. He isn't really into action, but is into more serious series.

Kyuunolo knows Taekwondo, Jiu Jutsu, and Karate, but is still polishing Jiu Jutsu. Most of the time though, all the people he punches get knocked down pretty quick though...

✦✦✦✦

ART GALLERY (somewhat recent. somewhat not.

ooo most recent art of him

An icon for something

I would post more but all the art of him is outdated lol

✦✦✦✦

My favorite condensed water vapor man. Love him. Notify me if the deutsch is off pls.

Posted 17/9/23 21:50

[matrica-a-novelized-actual-play]

Chapter 13: Wind-up Doll

“Baby, listen…” Her wild periwinkle hair swirled like nimbus clouds around her small, doll-like face. She placed her chilly hands on Madoc’s cheeks, “You need to go.” “Momma,” he protested, brows knotted with concern. “You think that now, but-” “Baby, right now is the only time I can think.” Tears streamed from her solid gray eyes. “You need control to put on a consistent show, and he’ll offer it to you, like he did to me. But the control’s not yours. It belongs to whoever has your medicine. I have to believe there are places where souls like ours can just be, but it’s not here. If I could go with you…” Blue spread over Madoc’s skin and saturated his hair. “Why not?” “I’ve gotta take my medicine, baby,” she cooed and kissed his forehead, leaving a small spot of frost. “Or I’ll freeze to death.”

Finally, it's Madoc's turn to lead! While the crew of the Okhema regroups and debriefs about their successive mishaps, our colorful fey elf attempts to be helpful. He escorts Kaspar on a jaunt into town for supplies... however, the botanist will always heed the call of mischief. Naturally, things go awry.

Read it these places!

The Story on our Wiki

The Story with Comments Enabled on Google Docs

The Story on AO3

[kilmameri]

afaik it wasn't really explained but yeah sleepy boy is awake a lot more later in the manga

omg yeaaa boiii he's Hilarious and I can't wait for him to be awake in anime as well!!

[simpalert]

power mix up day (old fic)

oh no someone or something has mixed up everyone's powers I wonder what could happen

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  It’s was early  in the morning and monkie king had just woken up, he looks down excepting to see his nimbus cloud but was shocked to find it was a shadow cloud he was laying on. He jumps off and the cloud disappears, this only means one thing. Macaque is here. Monkie king looks all over his house and his cave, and there’s no sight of macaque. He then glances in a mirror and notices something off, he has six ears. He thought macaque was behind but that wouldn’t make sense, he checks to see if he can summon Macaques staff. He snaps his fingers and there it was macaques shadow staff. He shouts “i have macaques powers” then quickly covers his ears in pain. “Right” he thought to himself “hyper-sensitive ears take time to learn to control them and get used to them”. He then pauses “if i have macaques powers” he calmly says “that means!”

Mk has just gotten up and feels a bit hot, he checks the weather and it says its supposed to be a pretty chilly New Year’s Day. “Hmmm” says mk “that’s strange, I don’t feel sick”. He looks over to where he put the staff for the night and sees it’s not there, “ok” he said to himself “maybe it’s back in my ear” he try’s to summon it and it doesn’t work. “Oh no” mk says out loud, he quickly gets dressed and sprints out the door. Pigsy says “good morning kid” then asks “umm are you ok, you seem tense” “I can’t summon my staff so I’m going to monkie kings ok bye” and runs off. Pigsy yells “well be safe”

Meanwhile with macaque who just gotten up and somehow didn’t notice the color change of his cloud, he looks in the mirror and is in for a shock when he sees he only has two ears. He knows his glamor is down but the only things that are showing are the scar and the blind eye, two pairs of his ears are gone. “That’s odd” he thinks as he looks over at his cloud and it looks like monkie kings nimbus, “that’s even more odd” he says out loud. He then try’s to summon his staff, snaps his fingers and….nothing happens. Does it again….nothing happens, “hmmm strange” he says to himself as he reaches behind his head. He scratches his ear and the all of a sudden has the monkie kings staff in his hands, he takes a moment to prosess all of this. “I have monkie kings powers” he whispers, then triumphantly says out loud “I have monkie kings powers” he then laughs in glee and in Triumph. He then stops and thinks “wait if I have wukongs powers…that means”

Meanwhile,Mk finally got to monkie kings house and bursts in shouting “monkie king help somethings wrong”, monkie king covers his ears in pain dropping the peach he was eating “keep it down would ya, kinda having my own problems here” he then points to his now six ears. “Ohhh” mk says in a quieter voice then asks “umm what happened?” “I don’t know kid, all I know is that I have macaques powers now.” Monkie king reply’s. “So what’s up?” Monkie king asks “well I can’t summon the staff and umm” mk wipes a bit off sweat of his brow “whew why is it so hot, I know I’m not sick”. Monkie king says “hmmm what’s something that makes you angry?” “Some one being mean to my friends for no reason, why?” Mk replies, Monkie king then says “ok I’m gonna test something out so don’t take this the wrong way” “ok…?” Reply’s mk who is puzzled. “Mei is a nobody dragon clan girl, and that’s all she’ll ever be” monkie king says covering his ears braced for the yelling. Mk yells “WHAT?!?” And with that his hair goes up in flames and flames spew out of his eyes, “did I just do that?” Mk asks hesitatently “yep” Monkie king reply’s “yes you did” he uncovers his ears. “Wait” mk suddenlys says “if I have fire powers” mk and monkie king both say “that means”

Meanwhile, redsons up and goes to brush his hair like normal, he try’s to fire levitate the brush to him but….nothing happens. He looks at his hand and is confused and a bit concerned, he try’s summoning fire in his hand…nothing happens. He rushes to his parents room and bursts in waking them both up “redson dear” princess iron fan drowsly says “it’s really early why are you waking us up?” Dbk nods his head sleepily as to agree. “I can’t summon my fire” redson says in a panic, that wakes the sleepy parents right up. Iron fan who’s extremely concerned starts asking questions about what could have happened to redson “dear calm down” dbk calmy say “your gonna scare him more then he already seems to be” iron fan let’s out a deep breath and says “ok….sorry redson dear” “it’s ok mother” redson tensly reply’s. There was silence for a moment till there was a knock at the door, iron fan goes to answer it and sees mk and Monkie king “redson noodle boi is here” iron fan say. “Noodle boy?” “Hey red ummm I have your powers” mk reply’s. Redson,dbk, and iron fan loudly say “WHAT?!? Monkie king covers his ears in pain and says “ughh” mk says “shh talk a bit softer please monkie king has macaques powers”. “Isn’t that so” says a voice from the distance, they all turn and see it was macaque himself. “Well I found out where my staff and ears went huh?” “Macaque not right now” Monkie says in a annoyed voice. Dbk says “lighten up simian, now why don’t we chat we’re all ears” “I hate you guys so much right now” Monkie king says in response to dbks joke. “Well how did the happen and how long will it last” asks iron fan.

All of a sudden a random fairy popped up “your powers will be swapped for the rest of the day and all night” she then goes onto say “your original powers will be granted to you at dawn, now help each other out today ok” with that the fairy disappears leaving every in shock and pure confusion.

After that, the monkies stayed far apart but mk and redson hung out the whole day, they mostly spared and tried out each others powers. It’s now late at night and monkie king is at macaques house because mk said it would be wise “whatever” he thought,macaque wasn’t home so Monkie king was gonna make some dinner but all of a sudden the fireworks started. Monkie king cover his ears and screamed in pain, he stumbled to the living room where he collapsed because of the overwhelming pain. Luckily macaque came home a few minutes later and saw Monkie king curled up in a ball, crying in pain and jumping every time a firework went off. Macaque already had headphones on so he grabs his extra pair and put them on Monkie king “shh shh come here” he lifts up Monkie king and holds him close “guess I didn’t make it in time huh?” Monkie king weakly nods. “Now I know how you feel on New Years “ he lets out a small soft chuckle “yup ya do.”macaque reply’s “I guess your not to happy about this huh, I know how much you love the fireworks peaches”, Monkie king weakly nods again. Macaque lifts him up bridal style and carries him up to the roof “I’m gonna Do what you did for me when we were kids” Monkie king tilts his head in confusion, macaque then puts his hand infront of Monkie kings face and makes a soft boom noise. Monkie kings face lights up, he remembers now. They both enjoyed some quiet fireworks, then Monkie king says “thanks for this plum and…” macaque looks at Monkie king a bit confused “I’m sorry for everything” Monkie king says and then drifts off with his head on macaques shoulder. Macaque was a bit shocked but then whispers “no problem and it’s ok….I’ve finally forgiven you.”

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hope ya'll enjoy this chaotic fic :D

[chaozsilhouette]

Raging Against the Storm

I was quite disappointed on the lack of backstory, or really anything, for Sandy this season. So I decided to find more for our former soldier turned pacifist. The big guy clearly has a dark past, so why not dredge it up to endanger everyone he’s grown to love.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§ 

 The barrier didn’t hold.

Not too surprising. It was always a possibility.

When Nezha first took up this duty, he fully understood the destruction that would ravage the world if he failed. Everything and everyone he cared for and protected would be at risk. It wouldn’t matter if they were in another realm, all would be turned to ash. That knowledge fueled him as days turned to centuries and centuries became millennia, it kept him moving when most guardians would become lost to the bitter isolation.

He assumed the others knew this truth and feared the repercussions with strength equal to his own. Yet as that monkey smiled at him, clutching the key to the ceremony in his greedy palm, Nezha feared just how wrong he was.

“Wukong, you fool. You’ll doom us all!” Clutching his throbbing side, Nezha glared at the Great Sage’s nimbus cloud fading into the distance.

Everything was starting to fade. Darkness was encroaching from the edges of his vision as he struggled to keep himself standing. Not even leaning on the rubble that was once his temple could stop the slow decline to the ground littered with signs of his failure.

He couldn’t pass out. He needed to track down that fool before he could start the end of the world.

No.

He’s stronger than this!

He won’t be stopped by mere pain!

He’s suffered far greater injuries than this!

No.

No.

“No!” Lunging forward, Nezha cringed as his ribs protested the sudden movement. But the pain was soon forgotten as he took in his surroundings.

He had been moved from the pitiful remains of his destroyed temple. Now he was on a soft mattress in a sparsely decorated room. Candles and incense burned around him, filling to room with a soothing scent.

By the door, his armor, astras, and weapon rested, freshly polished and repaired.

Looking down, the Third Prince saw his wounds had been tended to. Someone had dedicated a great deal of time to see him restored to full health. Someone was trying to help him make up for his unforgivable failure.

But who?

“It is comforting to see you awake, Nezha.” A deep voice said from the now open door, one that was rather familiar.

Nezha looked up to see a dear friend and teacher. Slick black hair pinned in the traditional style showing a visage free from wrinkle or scars. Dressed in his usual white and lilac robes, he had traded in his armor and weapons for instruments of healing, however, he was far from appearing weak. A powerful three-eyed warrior god joined by a sable furred magnificent canine with golden markings. The beast was a fine example of breeding, pure muscle and speed, yet somehow quite fluffy.

Erlang Shen

“Where am I?” Nezha asked. He was quite surprised to see one of the, if not the, most powerful warriors of the Celestial Realm tending to his wounds.

“After the seal was broken, I traveled to your temple to see you safely retrieved. You were badly wounded and spiritually drained but have been making steady progress towards a full recovery.” Erlang said, checking the bandages, pleased the bleeding had long ceased.

The snarling hound jumped onto the bed to settle against the young god’s side.

“I was alone?” As an extra precaution, Nezha never employed servants at his temple. Yes, this act forced him to perform extra tasks to maintain his massive residence, but he felt it was worth it if it meant fewer beings knew about the map’s existence and location.

But that also meant…

“You were the only living thing within fifteen li,” Erlang clarified.

“So, the Great Sage was successful in stealing the map…” For a brief moment, he prayed it had been a nightmare. Losing the map to the simian, who should be more than aware of just how dangerous those flames were, after a thousand generations of flawless vigilance was truly a travesty. But that was what the Great Sage did.

He ruined everything for his own benefit.

“Do not be so hard on yourself. All the Celestial Realm knows better than to underestimate that monkey when he’s determined. The fact you were able to hold him off for so long is worthy of praise.” He, even with all his might, still bore the scars from his first battle with the Great Sage.

“It’s less than worthless unless I am able to retrieve the map before the Samadhi Fire is unleashed. The entire world is at stake, I cannot allow myself to be weak.” Nezha pulled at the covers so he may track down that worthless ape.

Only for a gentle yet firm hand to halt his progress.

“There is a time for action and a time for rest. Your body still has a long road to recovery. Soldiers, scouts, and those devoted to our temples are keeping watch over the Monkey King and those he accompanies. Recently he has left the palace of the Eastern Dragon King and is entering the Great Desert of Endless Hardships.” Erlang explained, attempting to gently ease the young deity back into the bliss of sleep.

His words were designed to inspire comfort, yet they only served to kindle the panic and rage inside the young prince. The Great Desert of Endless Hardships was part of the Demon Bull King’s territory. Sun Wukong was heading directly for the first of the three rings, Nehza was truly too far behind.

Seeing the effect his words had, Erlang went for a more tactical approach. “I know it is hard, but you must know if you were to leave now, he would simply best you again with greater ease. You must be patient.”

To further emphasize his point, the divine hound shifted its head so that it now rested on the youth’s chest. Deep eyes stared intently at the god who was once the young boy who endlessly played with him. Meaning that if he had any inclination of leaving, he would have to disrupt the slumber of a creature he personally knew and adored since his reincarnation.

Gritting his teeth, the young god battled with his eternal rage and fury. Knowing his old teacher was correct, he bowed to his wisdom and allowed himself to sink into the fluffy pillows and blankets.

“I respect your wisdom and…am grateful for your actions.”

Nodding, Erlang closed the door behind him, leaving his beloved companion to rest at the young prince’s side.

He was conflicted.

On one hand, he was proud to witness the once wild youth grow into such a mature and respectable warrior. On the other, it was clear the millennia of near total isolation and dedicating himself to this sole duty had taken its toll on his self-worth.

A whisper of fresh flowers and spring water told him another had reached a similar conclusion.

Regardless of the past, they were there now. Their prince would no longer have to bear this burden alone.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

Inside the TEA, tensions were running hot as the temperature continued to rise.

Desert travel was rarely fun, even when you were inside an air-conditioned van because somehow the heat was able to sneak past the cooling mechanisms to force the travelers to each lose a liter of water with each passing hour.

Didn’t help that the map was not proving a helpful navigation tool.

Ever since his phone dried out, Tang had been trying to compare the ancient map with every digitized map of China he could find from the past three thousand years, yet nothing even resembled a single landmark. Currently, the only reason they were still moving was to get out of the desert and maintain the distance between them and the growing hellscape of crystal and ice that was once their home.

“Good news, everyone. GPS shows we’re just eight hours away from the nearest city.” Sandy announced, happy to have some good news.

“Awesome. We really need to stock up on…everything.” Pigsy said, using his overshirt to wipe away another layer of sweat.

“There’s no telling when the Shackled will be upon us again, so we need to grab what we can and leave as quickly as possible,” Tang advised from the passenger’s seat, clinging to the map as though if he looked closely enough something would start to make sense.

“‘Shackled’?” Mei questioned the phrase from her spot on the floor.

“We needed to call them something, as a bonus, it serves to remind us they are not doing this of their own free will.” Tang defended. While they were chasing them and nearly caused their deaths multiple times, Tang firmly believed they should not be held accountable for these acts. After all, if his family was being threatened by a seemingly unstoppable force, even he would bend to see them live.

The youngest members shrugged in acceptance, not having the energy to argue or come up with something better.

“Back to the matter at hand. While we have nothing else, we’d better write a list of what we need to avoid wasting any time.” Pigsy offered because putting as much distance between themselves and an army sounds pretty good.

“On it,” MK said, tearing out a fresh page from his art book that miraculously survived.

“Our main priorities are food, water, medical supplies, toiletries, and fresh clothing,” Sandy stated from the front. In times of survival, it was important to have a clear view of what you needed.

It pained them but the four moved around the living area to check on what they had at their disposal.

“Looks like we have enough emergency rations for two more meals, but that might be pushing it,” Pigsy said, never happier at the knowledge his buddy was once a soldier. “Didn’t help nearly everything I brought was lost when we hit the waves.”

It wasn’t like they planned to suddenly be whisked into this ancient mess. The fact he packed all that food in the beginning was because he knew those two would burn three times their daily calories with all the training. Even though they had already eaten most of it during their travels, he could have squeezed another two meals out of it.

“We still have four gallons of water stored up.” Mei counted from the back. Although she was considering making it three with the sheer amount of sweat she had been drowning in.

“Not great but it should last us until we get to the city,” Tang muttered. “As for medical supplies, we are nearly out of gauze, medical tape, pain relievers, and antibiotics. Honestly, given the start of our journey and everything we may encounter, we should just double stock everything.”

“Yeah.” MK wrote everything down, along with a few extra items. “Okay all that plus, basic necessities, cat food, and fuel. That should be it, aside from the issue of payment.”

“Everyone got your credit cards.” At the pig’s words, everyone whipped out at least one plastic card. “We’re good.” This meant everyone could handle payment when they split up.

“Here’s the plan: Tang you handle medical supplies, if you think you have enough grab three more. There’s no telling if the next city we encounter has been thrown into chaos from Lady Bone Demon’s attack or not.” Pigsy pointed to the man as he retook his original seat.

The scholar’s glasses glinted as he wore a strangely content smile.

“Mei, you know our styles and sizes, grab four standard outfits, a jacket, gloves, boots, and snow gear. I want us to be prepared for anything and everything.”

The pro-gamer gave a thumbs up, already devising a new wardrobe in her mind. The anime dream team uniforms were once more within reach.

“MK, you’ll grab at least three large bags of whatever brand of cat food Sandy uses and ten water dispenser jugs. Sandy, while we’re shopping double-check everything so we don’t end up stranded on the side of the road and fuel up.”

The two nodded as Sandy directed MK to the food cabinet so he could write down the name as a precaution.

“I’ll handle the food, including where we can store enough to feed six people for multiple days.” Pigsy finished with a mutter.

“Well, that killed twenty minutes. Anything else we can use as a distraction?” Sandy asked, glad that the atmosphere had taken a brighter turn.

A loud clap brought everyone’s attention to their very own Monkie Kid. “So, we all agree I need to find some way to get my powers back.”

“Ah, technically yes, but-” Tang began, only to get cut off.

“You didn’t actually give any reasons or make an argument,” Pigsy said, more than a little concerned. Even when they had spare time in their prison cell MK was adamant about not talking about his fight with Lady Bone Demon or when they were attacked on the dronecopter.

“I thought it was pretty obvious given how close we were to being killed at the Eastern Dragon Palace,” MK stated, before turning to face his best friend. “No offense to your great, great thousand times great uncle, Mei.”

“Meh. I doubt he cares.” The young dragon said with confidence.

“Both during the attack and when he was threatening us, I couldn’t do anything. I was worthless.” MK admitted, feeling the words carve a scar in his heart for what could have happened to his family. “Monkey King said that the powers came from me, not the staff, so I should be able to tap into them again.”

“How? It took centuries of training and practice for him to obtain all of his abilities. You haven’t even had them for a year.” Tang pointed out, not feeling particularly keen on diving in blind to such dangerous territory. It wasn’t that he was trying to be cruel, but he still fought the urge to heave at the slightest thought of the dog head and mop hands.

“I have no idea. I was honestly hoping you guys would have some plan based on how I unlocked abilities in the past.” Cause to be honest compared to the Monkey King’s arsenal he barely scratched the surface.

“Shouldn’t your ‘master’ be part of this meeting?” Pigsy asked. Ever since their escape, the pig demon had been growing even more skeptical of the so-called ‘Great Sage’ especially when he never fully answered any of their questions.

“He’s occupied with regaining his own strength,” MK said, pointing to where his master was in the depths of meditation. A soothing golden glow emanating from every inch of skin bathed the back half of the T.E.A. in divine light.

“How did we miss that?” Mei questioned, snapping a quick pic of the glowing monkey.

“Then why don’t you do the same?” The chef asked.

“Well, I can’t-” MK started but stalled as memories of past lessons flooded in. A different teacher, different lessons, but they allowed him to discover many truths about his powers and himself. One of those lessons was the importance of deep mediation to interact with abilities that were truly his.

Trails of power.

A golden statue.

A world built on the memories he held dear.

“Huh? Maybe I will.” Grabbing a fluffy pillow from one of the bunks, MK went into lotus position and closed his eyes. He really had been slacking on meditation in the last few months and the lack of incense didn’t help. Why didn’t he ask the dark monkey what brand he used at the theater, he’ll never know?

Okay yes, it was because he was internalizing a lot of stuff, including the safety of his friends, the return of one of his mentors, and the fact something terrifying was on its way! He’s allowed to be dramatic, damn it!

Getting off track here. Focus on his breathing. Let the rhythm of his heart take him deeper and deeper. Block out all distractions.

Slowly, slowly…

Ding!

Opening his eyes MK looked around and saw he was no longer in the T.E.A.

“Step one in the books. Now for step two.”

The others watched as MK’s breathing evened out until it felt like he had froze.

“I guess this little think tank was worth something after all,” Mei commented, not sure how to handle this situation. Things were really going into new weird territory. And for their group that was saying something.

“So, we have two monkeys out of commission,” Tang observed, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.

“We’ll have to be careful until they wake up,” Pigsy stated. He wasn’t that worried, so long as they kept moving things should be alright. Besides, it wasn’t like they were completely defenseless without the two.

“Ah, guys? Our ETA might be a little off schedule.” Sandy said, trying not to reveal how nervous he was.

“But you said this vehicle can handle almost any terrain?” Pigsy asked, remembering how proud the yoga enthusiast was.

“It can but I underestimated how much coolant we’d go through.” At his words, the van completely stopped. The main screen showed a cup of boiling tea at the top of a thermometer. “The engine’s completely overheated.”

“So, we’re stuck here?” Mei asked already feeling a new layer of sweat soaking into her jacket.

“Just for a few hours,” Sandy assured, even though he was dreading the blistering heat like everyone else. “We need the engine to cool down or we’re not moving.” The water demon unbuckled his seat and went to throw open the hood, releasing a burst of steam that nearly hit him and Mo in the face.

Nursing a growing headache, Pigsy knew they had to make preparations. “Everybody out. Staying inside ain’t gonna help anyone.”

“Mei, grab MK. I’ll get Monkey King. Tang, I saw a spare blanket and metal rods in the back, we can use them to create some shade.” The others nodded, as a plus it would help distract them, somewhat.

Mei tenderly grabbed her best friend and the pillow he was using, while Pigsy had no qualms about throwing the spiritual primate over his shoulder. Seeing such drastically different attitudes, Tang wanted to say something but knew it wouldn’t change anything.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

Deep inside MK’s mind, the boy was struggling to make sense of how different everything was.

The first time he entered this world everything felt so bright and vibrant. Now…

Now it felt so empty.

The colors were muted to mere memories of what they once were. Scenes he once walked past showcasing pieces of his family’s pastimes were crumbling under an unseen weight. He had walked for what felt like miles not one phantom to be seen. Jagged pieces of ice had grown out of the flaming mountains, encasing the buildings that were once randomly dotted about.

If he didn’t know any better, MK would assume the changes were symbolizing his mental trauma and sense of helplessness.

“What’s happening?” He muttered, scared of what was wrong with him.

Furiously shaking his head, MK proceeded to smack himself. This wasn’t a time to get lost in thought. He needed to reestablish his connection with his powers so he could protect everyone.

With that in mind, he continued his trek down the path and up the mountain to where the statue dwelled. But not even his heroic nature could distract him from the crushing silence.

The first time he came here nothing was quiet. Even if sounds felt muted compared to Macaque’s instructions, there was still so much he absorbed.

The force of the roaring fires. The crashing of the waves. The sound effects echoed from the arcades and clubs. Knives grating against cutting boards. The slight buzz of a text being sent. Pages being turned. Kettles whistling.

Monkeys chirped from the trees and cats purred as they were being petted.

Everything, everything little sound brought this place to life and made it feel real.

Now…

MK tried not to think about it.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

Digging in the supply closet, Tang feared for the future if things continued this way. Ever since MK became the Monkie Kid, Pigsy had grown more and more irritated with the king. Whenever MK wasn’t around Pigsy never held back on his opinions of their child’s mentor. He felt the King wasn’t prepared to handle the responsibilities and emotional requirements to truly be a teacher, much less a good one. And given everything Tang had witnessed, from their situation to MK’s self-esteem, it was growing harder to defend him.

The scholar was pulled from his musings when he felt something very familiar brush against his hand. Cautiously, he pulled out a vase, one with striking floral designs and not a single blemish on its surface.

“Huh? Guanyin’s vase?” Tracing the deigns, Tang felt the same nurturing/terrifying aura that drew him to it the first time. Grabbing the supplies, he was tasked with retrieving, Tang went to get some answers. “Pigsy, did you pack this?”

The chef stared at the vase for barely a minute before images of a flaming city-sized delicacy hurling down from the atmosphere linked together. “That thing? Didn’t you and MK take it from Monkey King’s horde to deal with that giant dumpling a few months ago?” That was one weird adventure and one long cleaning session.

“Yes, but he took it back, right?” Sure, Tang didn’t see him do it, but after the vase was restored surely MK took it with him on his many trips to Mount Huaguo.

“Apparently not,” Mei muttered, stabbing the rods into the sand as deep as she could.

Tang, however, felt as if there was more to this. Rushing back into the T.E.A., he grabbed six glasses and returned to their group. Taking a single cup, Tang tipped the vase over, eyes widening as crystal clear water started to pour out.

“It’s cold.” The glass felt as if he just used a fridge’s water dispenser. From the first aid kit, he was thrilled to find pH strips. Dipping a fresh strip in, he waited and soon the strip indicated a solid scale of 7.

“Well, the pH is stable…we have an ocean of fresh water at our disposal.” But whether it was safe to drink was another question he wasn’t prepared to answer. They should boil it first to be safe though-

“Gimme!” Mei snatched the glass, proceeding to chug it down in one fell swoop. Immediately one could see improvements, the young water dragon once on the verge of collapsing now appeared well-rested and eager to take on the next challenge. “So good.”

Despite the inevitable headaches and potential dangers, Pigsy took what wins he could get. “Alright, one thing’s going right today.” He went on to pour himself and the kid a glass. Even if he was in a deep meditation didn’t mean they had to risk heatstroke.

“But how?” Tang asked, still fixating on how such a priceless and useful artifact just appeared in their possession.

“Let’s not question it now. It's too hot for that nonsense.” The chef stated, taking a test sip. Finding the refreshing drink everything he needed in that one moment he proceeded to slowly pour half of the second glass down MK’s throat. He couldn’t be sure, but he got the sense the kid was relieved if for a moment.

Sandy was quick to join in on the action, grabbing himself a glass and refilling the bowls for all his little soldiers, who eagerly lapped up the refreshing liquid.

“Ah, guys? Is it just me or are there suddenly a lot more clouds in the sky?” Mei asked, feeling the heat start to lessen as the winds shifted.

“Hm?” Sandy looked up at the odd question. However, the reason immediately became clear.

What was once a clear blue sky free of a trace of white, was slowly growing dark as grey clouds floated closer to their campsite. The winds were starting to pick up speed, bringing a sense of welcomed coolness but also a sense of danger.

The sky was growing darker as the clouds gathered above them. A metallic scent slowly poisoned the air sending the therapy cats rushing back into the T.E.A., with the exception of Mo who was determined to remain by his partner’s side. Lightning crackled between the gray masses as the winds began to howl with even more vigor, but none of that was important.

At least not compared to the figure that suddenly appeared mere feet before the group.

They weren’t very tall and their billowing clothes did not give the impression they were cut, but something about them truly held their attention. They held an aura, a charisma that drew them in; it would have been comforting if it wasn’t saturated with bloodlust and long-tempered fury.

Then they spoke. “I have waited ten years for this moment. Spirit of the Red Sand.” Their voice did not feel as though it originated from a living creature, but a force of nature. It echoed and distorted as whispers trailed behind, at least of their number flinched due to that familiarity alone.

Pigsy was the first to glare at the newcomer. “Sandy, who is this punk?”

Mei drew her sword, placing herself directly between MK and their new foe.

The former soldier, however, could only say this. “Pigsy. Tang. Get the kids in the T.E.A.”

The figure tilled their head as though they had finally taken notice of the entire group. “Companions. I always thought you didn’t need backup.” They spoke with such condescendence, as though viewing their presence was a sign of an inexcusable weakness.

“I’m not that man anymore. I’ve moved past it, but I can see you didn’t.” Sandy stated, both with pride and remorse. He seemed to recognize the individual, not necessarily who they were but why they were here.

And that was all it took. One little phrase and all that control, all that calm was torn to shreds. “A little hard, when you lose your entire family to one monster.”

Sandy looked down at the statement, not having anything to defend his past actions. He knew he committed horrible acts. He butchered hundreds without caring about their history or if they had families waiting for them. He didn’t care, didn’t want to care.

Why should he?

No one could touch him and he thought he had all he needed in a found family who respected his choices.

The enemy unsheathed a blade with one hand and his claws with the other. A stance was taken and all thoughts of conversation were abandoned. The winds were whipped into a frenzy as streams of sand circled the group like hungry predators.

Oh, what he wouldn’t give to turn back the clock.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

MK grunted as he reached for a new finger hold.

He didn’t know why it was taking so much longer to find the source of his powers this time, but he knew he was getting closer.

Originally, he tried retracing his steps to Monkey King’s house, but nothing was to be found.

The golden statue was nowhere to be found, leaving him to scream his frustrations to an uncaring mental sky. Nails dug into his scalp as he viciously pulled at his hair. His vision turned watery as he forced the tears back.

Growling MK, returned to his feet and stared down the daunting mountain face before him. It was the only area he hadn’t checked yet and he refused to come back empty-handed. And that led to him climbing up an unstable mountain freestyle.

He honestly didn’t know if dying here would truly kill him, but he wasn’t eager to test that theory.

The only thing he had going for him was the faintest sense things had gotten a lot hotter since he entered his meditation. He could only pray the van hadn’t brook down or an ambush forced them into a sinkhole.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

In the physical world, things were not going great.

Their opponent was proving to be one of their more annoying foes

“Illusions! He’s combining illusions with the sand storm.” Tang deduced. And for someone who spent so long blending in with the crowd, it made sense. From the back of the group, he saw moments when duplicates would just fade in and out of existence. Blows would be stuck but have no backlash. Real attacks were thrown into the mix, but the question of what was real and what wasn’t kept everyone on edge.

The shifting sands and raging winds were already throwing them off, throwing in projections would serve to further disorient. Against a powerhouse like Sandy, it was an ideal strategy. As any direct assault was doomed to failure.

Mei was having a new problem. She had never had more power at her disposal. Her speed was unquestionable. And no one could say she would hesitate in a fight. But this wasn’t a normal fight.

What good was power if she couldn’t land a hit on a target? What good was speed if she couldn’t see where she was going? How could she swing her blade knowing she could accidentally hit one of the others?

This was a new sense of helplessness, having all this power yet being unable to use it.

Sandy was clearly the main target, but even with his vow of pacifism, he had decades of experience to allow him to dodge or redirect deadly attacks. Of course, that came with the risk of the others getting hit in his place.

“Then how do we fight this?” Pigsy growled, pressing his back against Tang to avoid being separated again.

“Since none of us are skilled in dispelling magic like this, we’ll need the golden eyes of truth. It’s the only way I can think of us ending this without causalities.” Unfortunately, the only ones with access to such power were currently beyond their reach.

“Come on kid. If you’re planning to do a big hero moment, now’s the time.” Pigsy pleaded hoping his voice would reach the little boy he raised. The boy who became weighed down with far too many responsibilities and trauma much too soon.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

Finally.

Finally, he reached the summit! Or whatever the tops of mountains were called. He was too mentally exhausted to care about accuracy.

Now it was time to receive his prize.

Nothing.

Nothing!

He climbed for what had to be hours while his family was waiting for him. He stumbled his way through the wreckage of his thoughts when they could have been attacked at any time!

Was this a sign?

A sign he wasn’t meant to be the Monkie Kid anymore?

Did he truly have nothing left?

Was he now and forever meant to be helpless while those he loved gave up everything?

Starring at the endless sky, MK stood firm. “This is not the end.”

“Do you hear me! This is not the end! I refuse to give up.” He shouted, not caring who heard him. In the end, all that mattered was that he said it.

“I messed up. I let the Lady Bone Demon steal every ounce of power I had. I let her manipulate me too many times. I let the world down. I let Monkey King down. I failed my family.” He almost broke down at the last one. It hurt admitting his failures. But they were the cold, hard truth. He couldn’t ignore them, but he could conquer them.

Here and now, he would.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m just going to sit back and do nothing. I will fix my mistakes, with or without powers.” Taking a deep breath, MK knew it was time to return to the outside. He had nothing left here, but so much out there.

A strange sensation drew his attention. Turning around he saw a glorious golden light.

“Huh?”

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

MK opened his eyes to the ongoing battle, feeling lighter. “Guys!” He cried out seeing them all struggling to stay unharmed.

“MK?” Mei returned as she darted around the sand twisters.

“What’s going on?” Because this didn’t feel like an attack by the shackled. There was no sense of the life being drained from him as all warmth fled from the universe.

“No time, Kid. We need golden vision if you have it.” Pigsy stated, dragging tang out of the latest barrage.

Not entirely sure what was going on, but knowing enough to comply MK reached deep inside. He stretched towards that tiny dot of warmth and willed it to flow into his eyes. Gritting his teeth, MK focused everything on his sight. TO focus on the world around him as it shifted and turned. Slowly a golden film slipped over his eyes as the duplicates of the unknown enemy faded away, leaving the original hopelessly exposed.

“He’s over there.” MK alerted, pointing to a small patch of sky above Sandy.

“On it.” Mei had been itching for this for far too long. In a flash, a green dragon charged forward and before the opponent could hide again, they were knocked from the sky, hurtling towards the ground. Mei returned to them with a satisfied grin, yet the sparks of energy revealed she was far from done.

“Stay down,” MK instructed. “We don’t want to fight you. The world is at the brink of destruction, none of us have time for this.” He may not know how this started, but if he could end it, he would.

“We know you are upset, but killing Sandy won’t solve anything,” Tang said, trying to reason with the demon weighed down with loneliness and heartache. “It won’t resurrect your family or lessen your pain. You know this. All you are doing is hurting yourself.”

Pigsy was occupied holding back an enraged dragon from tearing apart the landscape as while he’d love nothing more than to teach this ass a lesson, they needed to focus on what was important. And killing a defeated opponent in front of their friend who was still clearly struggling with his PTSD wasn’t going to help anyone.

“Why would I listen to such empty words? You are right about one thing, his death won’t make a difference, not in any way that will matter. The demon spoke, subtly pulling a knife from his boot. “However, it will achieve one thing.”

The demon lunged forward at the pig demon and the group’s only full human.

Then just as quickly as it began it was over.

Sandy stood protectively over the two, dagger shattered against his fist, but the attacker was quite the distance away. In a mere fraction of a second, Sandy intercepted a lethal attack with a crimpling blow of his own. He defended his friends, his family, but at the cost of his vow.

Once more shattered bodies lay before him as those around him looked on in fear. His past was becoming his present and his present was becoming his nightmare.

“Is he?” Mei asked, almost afraid to finish.

Swallowing MK walked over to the prone figure, placing two fingers on the demon’s neck as he was taught long ago. Subtly, he felt something. Fragile and weak, fluttering against overwhelming fear, yet stubbornly clinging to this world.

“No.” Barely.

The group let out a sigh of relief. Just because they weren’t fond of being attacked didn’t mean they wanted him dead.

“Looks like all that wind cooled down the engine,” Tang said, seeing the monitors return to normal and the engine no longer releasing steam. Perhaps it wasn’t the most tactful line, but they needed to focus on something else, some more than others.

“In that case, let’s go! I’ll drive.” Mei rushed to the wheel eager to leave this miserable place.

Pigsy was ready to follow her example but something held him back. Turning around he felt his protective instincts scream at how defeated his friend looked. “Sandy?”

“I tried.” The blue giant sounded like he was on the verge of tears. “I tried so hard to leave that part of my life in the past. But I failed, again. I almost lost control.” Not even the presence of his precious little soldiers could soothe this miserable sensation.

Just like with that spider demon, he nearly went too far. Just one fraction of a second without control and he would tack on another number to his body count. He just-just didn’t understand why this kept happening. He’d been making so much progress, had a good support system, and quality people in his life.

So why was it so easy to lose it all?

“But you didn’t. Don’t think for a second you are a failure. You gave that punk every opportunity to walk away. It’s not your fault.” Pigsy laid a comforting hand on his old friend. While he may not have understood why the big fella felt such a drastic change was necessary, he could respect it. He could see how much effort was put into making himself a better person.

“Besides how could anyone be upset with what you did? You only acted to protect us. That kind of selflessness is something to be treasured.” Tang added. While the two had never been that close before recently, it didn’t change that he cared about the water demon and wanted him to find joy in this life.

Wiping residual grains of sand from his eyes, Sandy looked down to his old friends, seeing nothing but kindness and support. “You guys are the best. I don’t know what I did in a previous life, but I know it wasn’t enough to deserve this.” It still hurt, but not as much.

“You deserve all this and more, big guy. Never forget that.” Pigsy smiled as he felt muscular arms wrap around him. While this setback would leave a mark on his friend, at least he knew he wasn’t alone.

§~~~~§~~~~§~~~~§

Night fell.

With the cool darkness and civilization mere hours away, the group decided it was best to get as much rest as possible before they hit the ground running. Besides after everything that happened, their hearts just weren’t into completing their tasks anymore.

So, one light meal and a generous amount of mystically sourced water later and they were all out.

With everyone asleep there was no one to disturb the meditation of the Great Sage nor was there anyone to see his struggles.

At first glance, the Monkey King didn’t look any different than he did during the rest of the day. He was still meditating as his body gave off a heavenly glow. But if one cared to look at his face, you could make out signs of distress. Pinched brow and clenched teeth were merely the start. Underneath closed eyelids, his eyes were darting from side to side as his hands twitched uncontrollably.

In his mind, he was trapped in a nightmare forged from his past.

Fire

Roaring flames everywhere he turned.

The ropes that bound him had long since disintegrated, but there was nowhere to go. Ash filled the confined space choking his lungs. The smoke was leaking into his eyes and trying to rub only spread the pain.

What made it worse was the flames were fueled by his own body. The soot and ash was fur and flesh weakened by war and ravaged by fire. Even if he regenerated what he had lost any flaw in his defense was merely tinder for elemental hunger.

The pain never ended. The agony never stopped. No matter how long he screamed he would not blackout, he was not meant to know the escape of sleep. Beyond his screams, he could hear the cheers of the Celestial Court as they celebrated their victory.

This-This was all their fault!

All he wanted was respect. All he desired was to protect his people. And they decided to make a joke out of him! When he was free, he’d personally carve his wrath into every resident of this forsaken realm!

They’d learn their lesson even if he had to paint the entire realm red!

Gasping Wukong was forced from his trance and fell to all fours on the provided pillow.

Hastily taking shallow rapid breaths, Sun Wukong did everything he could to separate himself from that memory. The air was cool, there was no fire. He could leave whenever he wanted. He was back in the Mortal Realm, not the Celestial.

‘Get it together.’ He thought, not daring to wake the others by saying it out loud.

He could not afford to be any more of a burden than he already was. Worry and fear killed armies just as easily as superior tactics and overwhelming strength. He needed to remain in control at all times. If they knew just how close he was to breaking, it would be all over.

The soft chirps and rustles from nature drew Wukong to the outside, where the world continued to breathe despite the encroaching danger. All this beauty, all this life, if he failed none of it would remain.

High above, the moon shone so brightly invoking memories of silky fur that made even Chang’e’s domain appear dull. When a hand lay outstretched to meet his even during their darkest days. A kind voice cooed at him as the two of them lay intertwined beneath the stars so certain their future would be happy.

When this was over, Sun Wukong vowed to find his other half. To make things right. To finally end this emptiness eating away at his sanity!

But until then…

‘Suck it up, Wukong. You are the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, such weakness is beneath you. You have a world to save and a new group to protect. Nothing else matters.’

[gentlemancrow]

Suggestions for jmart drabbles from that prompt list:

15. trembling hands

25. senseless

38. soak

49. nightfall

ASJHFksajh FINALLY DONE!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE <3 I decided to do them all because YOU DESERVE THEM ALSO! Am I insane? Yes. Were they also fun to write? ALSO YES! So I see this as an absolute win! I HOPE YOU ENJOY ; w ; <3

[Prompts from here!]

15. trembling hands

Jon’s hands tremble so badly as he attempts to apply the third plaster to the still weeping gash across his throat, that he once again winds up with the sticky bit over raw flesh. He swears and shakily peels the ruined bandage off, tossing it in the bin of the men’s where he stands over a bloodied sink, glaring into his own reflection and willing himself to stop crying, get it together already…

He scrubs at his eyes with his sleeve and reaches for the box of plasters to try again, but broad fingers catch his wrist kindly and fold his shaking hand into solid, reassuring palms. Martin smiles sadly at him, and does not ask what happened.

“Here, let me. Those little things’ll never work for a cut like that. This’ll be needing a gauze pad and a little tape, I reckon. Hold still for me?” he says, his voice so soft, so gentle.

Jon nods, and Martin’s hands are steady and calm as they open the first aid kit he knew to bring and find the medical tape and pads. They are the hands of someone tragically accustomed to triage in all of its forms, used to being the one to remain calm in a maelstrom of emotion and strife, the hands that saved him from a swarm of worms with nothing but grit, resolve, and a corkscrew. The bandage is snug and clean and reassuring against his throat before he even knows what Martin is doing, and he looks up into his boundless, summer sky eyes and touches his boon with quivering fingers.

“There. All fixed, yeah?” Martin assures him, still with that mournful half-smile, and doesn’t even mind as Jon collapses against his shoulder, quaking apart, clinging to the solid monument of him in sobbing veneration.

Martin is still as he holds him, and lets the vibrations of terror wash off of Jon and into himself where they can die the unsung, unseen death they deserve.

UHH THIS IS LONG SO More under the cut!! Please clicky!

25. senseless

Senseless, Jon thinks, is a bit of a misnomer. In all of its contexts it almost universally refers to an overwhelming of the senses, an overabundance of them, rather than an absence of them. Senseless violence, making a senseless decision or choice, being knocked senseless, being kissed senseless… the latter of which he can now say with absolute certainty is an effulgence of celestial sense and sensation. Now that he has kissed Martin Blackwood.

It happens in a midnight Scottish rain on the moonlit mirrored pavers in the garden of Daisy’s safehouse. Jon wakes on their first night to find Martin absent from the bed they had wordlessly agreed to share and tears about the tiny, musty cabin until he spots him there, luminous and vaporous as he gazes up through the frigid mist at the patch of white haze that is the moon behind the clouds. Jon calls his name, and Martin turns with a smile so melancholy, so wrought with heartache and unrequited longing, all Jon can do is run barefoot to his side and gather the passing nimbus of him into his arms to make him whole again. His lips still taste of spearmint toothpaste, perfumed with chamomile and rainwater. Jon hears his tiny gasp of shock, hears the musical patter of the rain on their heads and on the primrose leaves. The feeling of Martin’s arms enveloping him, his fingers carding desperately into his hair, the tiniest hitch of hope in his thunderous chest, makes Jon freewheelingly dizzy and all he can think is Martin, he’s kissing Martin, everything is just Martin and rain and soft lips and warm breath and strong arms and nothing else matters.

He finally opens his eyes to look up at him, at Martin, his Martin, in a halo of moonlight, to see him, droplets of it clinging to his lashes, dripping from his nose and chin, flushed and golden, warm, bright, alive… and there is no other sense in the world.

Jon finally remembers to breathe.

38. soak

As much as Martin would love to soak in the bath for eternity, Jon catnapping against his chest, their bare bodies intertwined chastely in the warm, sudsy water, the water had long become significantly less sudsy and far less warm. They had also worked through their relaxation playlist twice and the wine bottle had gone empty ages ago. The candles had burned down nearly to the bottoms of their glass pots, painting dancing orange shadows on the wall that perform their soporific ballet around the placid tub as Martin presses a nuzzle and an insistent kiss to Jon’s forehead.

“Jon. Love…”

“Hmm?” comes the sleepy acknowledgement against his shoulder.

“The candles are nearly out and there’s no more wine.”

“Ah… so they are and so there isn’t,” Jon snickers blandly, and Martin feels his velvet smirk against his skin.

“The bubbles are also gone, and the water’s gone right tepid,” Martin continues.

“Yeah? Well, who needs bubbles anyway?”

“Not to mention we’re both horribly pruney.”

“I fail to see how any of this is an issue when I am so terribly comfortable,” Jon chides lovingly, all the while scrunching up a little into the warmth and comfort of Martin’s full chest and shivering.

“Well… maybe a little more hot water wouldn’t hurt. If you must whine.”

Martin laughs and kisses him obligingly as he turns on the tap with his toe, content to prune just a while longer.

49. nightfall

There is something strange that happens to Jon every night as they sit out in the garden to have a cup of tea, watch the sun set, and talk about absolutely nothing important at all. Jon lights up. Not in the sense of a loving partner happy to see him as Martin brings out the steaming mugs and the blanket to cuddle under while Jon tells him more stories behind the constellations. Not even in the sense of someone comfortable in their element or eager to share their expertise with someone they love. Jon lights up literally. As dusk falls, he shifts into a crepuscular creature brought to life with the fading of the light in that liminal space between night and day, human and monster. Martin knows he should find it terrifying, but Martin also knows that it is ineffably beautiful. The ephemeral, emerald green eyes that twinkle, barely visible, in the air above his head make a crown of fireflies that sometimes alight in his hair or on his cheek or glitter in constellations down his neck and through his fingertips. Otherworldly luminescence runs through the silver streaks in his hair like a fiberoptic cable, drinking in the ambient information in the atmosphere greedily. Even his own eyes, naturally a deep, woody brown, glow with all the god-streaked colors of the aurora. He is a beacon, a blinking, distant satellite gliding atop their fragile ozone bubble, an abyssal creature greedily snatching up every bit of knowledge detritus that floats down, forgotten.

He is breathtaking.

Martin is also staring quite openly, and Jon reaches out from the warmth and safety of their blanket to poke the end of his nose.

“What’s with that dopey look on your face?” Jon teases lovingly.

“Nothing, just… you’re so beautiful. That’s all,” Martin laughs.

“Sap.”

“Prick.”

Martin is punished for his insult with a sound kiss, and the coy emerald fires of the eyes twinkle around them gleefully.