#lmk century stone egg au

[quitealotofsodapop]

We discussed something relevant to century egg in the dms

It's possible that Macaque had not been ENTIRELY responsible for Wukong's first miscarriage. That doesn't absolve Macaque of his guilt, nor does it change much about the fact the unborn cub dies. It's still Macaque's attack that had been the catalyst, and he was still to blame for what happened...

But the thing nobody had noticed up until that point had been that the child had already been weak and sickly while kn the womb due to a few previous incidents on the journey. Primarily an attack from a scorpion that could harm even the Buddha that Wukong had still been trying to recover from when the injury happened, putting both himself and his child into an already fragile state. Since Wukong himself was still sick from it, he hadn't recognized the signs. Something was wrong with his baby, but nobody knew until it was too late

Prev.

Wukong had believed for the longest time that *He'd* failed his child. He knows that the deciding factor had been the fight with Macaque; whether the physical & mental stress of the fight itself, and/or the stress of losing his beloved mate.

There had been many factors in Wukong losing the First Egg. But the most dangerous had been the sting he received from the Scorpion Demoness in the previous arc - her venom is strong enough to permanently scar the Buddha himself. And in the novel, Wukong is envenomed so severely that Wujing and Bajie think he could be dying.

If Wukong were to be carrying a Stone Egg then well... it wouldn't be good I'd tell you that. The case studies I managed to find suggest that abrupt miscarriage happens more than often in the case of a pregnant person being stung.

Wukong, no matter what happens with Macaque, ultimately believes that he himself was the major fault. He put himself in danger far too many times, and now he's lost his child.

In another world, namely in the "jttw stone egged au", Macaque would have noticed the irregular heartbeat of the Egg, and drop his weapon to rush to Wukong's aid.

But alas, this is a more tragic Au...

Ksitigarbha, the bodhisattva of the dead, had been kind enough to assure Macaque that his and Wukong's child would reunite with them in their next life, but it would take some time. Macaque meanwhile, sank into a deep despair in the Underworld - dragged down into the cold hells by a primordial force even the Ten Kings couldn't recognise.

Then one day in the cold darkness; Macaque overheard that the little one was to be reborn very soon. When the Lady Bone Demon made her offer, he did not dare refuse. He needed to see Wukong, to finally meet their child - and spend the next eternity atoning for what he'd done.

Sharing some dialogue we did in the dms cus it's tasty. Taking place shortly after Guanyin agrees to give Macaque the Circlet so he can prove to Wukong and the rest of the found family that he's serious about his regret and want to atone for what he did;

Macaque: "It was a boy." Wukong, confused: "What?" Macaque: "The Egg. Our first one. The Underworld's Bodhisattva introduced me to him. He was so small and *perfect*. I hadn't even known he existed." Wukong, tearing up: "Mac..." Macaque, voice breaking: "He was so beautiful... he was already sick when we fought, if I had just stopped and got you help then..." Wukong, beginning to tear up: "You mean... I-" Macaque: "IT WASN'T YOU'RE FAULT! Peaches, it was NEVER your fault! I'm so sorry I ever blamed you for... for anything!"

The two monkeys hold each other and cry a millennia's worth of tears for their lost Egg. In a more kind world they could have greeted them far earlier than now. But at least they'll be here soon enough.

Later on, Macaque asks Wukong an important question;

Macaque: "Do you want to know?" Wukong: "Know what?" Macaque: (*glances down at Wukong's stomach*) Wukong, overjoyed & worried: "Oh! Yes! A million times yes!" Macaque: "He's sleeping right now. The chi is male but the body might not match at first."

Wukong feels a lot better after that. Knowing that his mate can hear and *tell him* what the baby is doing.

That their baby is thriving and alive.

[thenocturneofanightshade]

Soo First post, here.. about this AU I have for LMK. I'll just Info Dump a lot of it. Anyways, still new to LMK so a lot of this could change or be similar.. I mainly just wanted to share this AU Idea and Plot Points..

This AU was somewhat inspired by 'Stone Monkey AU' but I have my own twists.

So here's me trying to say it all while making it easy to read.

Firstly, some backstory inspiration for life on the mountain before Wukong's quest for Immortality comes from the Monkey King 2009 series. An English Translation for about 14 episodes (subbed) has been done by a channel called 'Monkey Servant'.

My main takeaway is that Liu'er has been kidnapped a lot and Wukong often came to their rescue (and they used to have fresh snow-white fur and their Ears look very much like their 2009 counterpart)

(Here's an image from the show I found.)

Major changes with MK and his place in Canon. I'll start with this for now since I feel their character and role will have some of the biggest changes short of Wukong.

Qi Xiaotian/MK is a Stone Monkey who is technically Sun Wukong and Liu'er Mihou/Macaque's kid(Though the Latter is unaware). They have Four Ears and have basically the same powers as Canon(May add more because of Mac but we'll see.) The main difference between this MK and Canon is that 1, he has had more training done by Sun Wukong, and he is a few centuries younger than Red Son. And he misses his Baba. (I'll get more into that MK later.) (May also make Trans but ??? I'll make a poll later to let people decide.)

Sun Wukong has learned a lot from being a father and HAS told MK about Mac, he tells the truth about the situation and how through his own actions he shattered the precious jewel he held so dear and it was his biggest regret because he is certain that if Mac lived they would have been their other Parent, their Papa or Mama.

So ShadowPeach was once Canon but not really anymore. (But who knows~)

After JTTW Wukong became very Isolated with only pop-ins, or visits between them.

Tripitaka also at some point during JTTW realised how much he had at times over-done it with the fillet and apologised. (Also during the Journey when asked how he was doing so well with the Kidnapping stuff he decides to be vague as fuck and say 'Oh, I have experience.' The Pilgrims believe he means he has kidnapped people before. Not saved them.) As Centuries went on the Pilgrims passed on, Tripitaka was first because Mortal, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie were next passing about the same time before finally Ao Lie.

Ao Lie only told Wukong about the fourth ring on their Death Bed, When the Celestial Realm called for DBK's Death (Likely also Red Son's too.) and ordered PIF back into their courts. Hearing about this Wukong made a deal with them to let him seal DBK and spare Red Son and PIF. The DBF has no clue about what Wukong has done and after sealing DBK under the Mountain they leave from the views of many basically sealing up Flower Fruit Mountain for good. Mainly this is because in the Original JTTW story, Wukong clearly shows a lot of care for their friends and respect for DBK and his family.

Now between JTTW and DBK's Sealing during Wukong's depressed spiral, a Stone Egg hatched and out came MK!!

There were ups and downs to single parent life but Wukong made it work. He taught MK everything and trained him well (I should mention MK never held his Father's staff once during this period of time.)

About a few years after sealing DBK Somethings has been attacking the Seals and Wukong has been using his own power to keep up. Collapsing in front of MK Wukong turns into a crystal the colour of a Vivid Orange Sapphire. (MK Gains his first bit of Trauma!!!)

(Anyways this part is left in the air because idk why he became like this. I mainly put this down for plot.)

Because of the Bridges Wukong burned and how many people would likely try to attack FFM to destroy the crystal if word got out the Kingdom decided to not ask for aid from anybody, unsure who to trust or who they could even reach let along reach out to (As nobody is even sure how to reach Guanyin and they don't rlly wanna owe them anything..) as by now all the original Pilgrims have passed on and MK is unsure if their families could even help them in the first place.

So he goes out to research and find a way to save his Baba in secret with little help or aid. All under glamours and Shapeshifting, while some look possibly promising the required living sacrifices and MK doesn't think his Baba would like that he killed somebody to save him. The Crystal is kept under constant Guard on FFM with many flowers, fruits and carved items placed around it.

He eventually goes to Megapolis, to follow leads. (He avoided it mainly because of DBF and not wanting to run into them.) After arriving about a few years before Canon. Transforming to look like young child (About 12 or so) they start looking around the city mainly to get a lay of the land when they get caught in a storm and a car hits them with muddy water.

Pigsy finds them, brings them in and asks MK why they were out in the storm at this time of day panicking he tells Pigsy that "Dad's really sick and.." MK doesn't elaborate, Pigsy asks MK if he has anybody to call, nodding MK quickly steps out and makes a clone to pose as an 'Uncle' as he quickly comes up with a cover story. The "Uncle" arrives a few minutes later, they tell Pigsy that they recently moved to the city for hospital reasons as 'MK's Father had fallen into a coma and he hadn't taken the news well.' After Eating the two leave as MK decides to use the old shrine his father had gotten years ago when the Pilgrims had still lived and renovate it while he stayed there. After he was "16" he got a drivers License and worked for Pigsy as a delivery boy. AND NOW WITH THOSE MAJOR CHANGES OUT OF THE WAY!!!

Now, we get to the main part, as we all know Pigsy, Tang and Sandy are 3 of the original Pilgrims reborn (Mei is up in the air for this AU. May make an "Uncle" for her and make her take over MK's role but that's for later.) The Main thing about is the three(Four?) of them remember their past lives as the Pilgrims. None of them knows MK is a Demon Monkey let alone Sun Wukong's Son, Now it starts off the same as MK takes the delivery to the DBF house but he decides to make a Clone to head back to Pigsy's as he goes to check out what they were doing after curiosity got the best of him. And in his monkey form, he steals his dad's staff. Giving them the name Qi Xiaotian. Now we have Pilgrims remembering their past lives + Secret Vigilante MK + Turned into Stone(Crystal)Wukong. I may add more onto this later but for now I hope you enjoy this idea.

[quitealotofsodapop]

okay so, I was curious for something that’s been on my mind for a while….so, in slow boiled au, Wukong kills Mac because he was protecting his egg…my question is, What would have happened if Macaque did kill the egg?

I feel really bad for asking but it has been in my head for months.

Odds are; a version of the Century Egg Au (perhaps even happening within it).

Wukong exits the mountain with an Egg. An Egg that has a pretty high chance to kill him no matter the immortalities he's accumulated over the centuries. He's excited but terrified all at once.

Then the infamous fight between him and Macaque occurs, but unlike the other Egg aus... Macaque's strike at Wukong's stomach was true, or the stress of losing his mate was just too much for Wukong's body to handle. Because Wukong can handle a hit a or too - he's damn near indestructible and the Egg has magic of it's own, but what the Egg cannot handle is the mental and emotional anguish of it's parent. Stone Monkeys who are successfully revived from their stasis *do* often lose their Eggs as a means of ensuring the parent's continued survival - even if it means losing the last trace of their lost spouse.

Now suddenly there's no more Egg.

Wukong's body reabsorbs all the Dao the egg stored over the course of those years. He even experiences symptoms similar to what happened to Zhu Bajie and Tripitaka when they took the Spring Water in the Kingdom of Women.

He now knows that both the Egg and his Mate are Gone.

Wukong falls into a depression that takes decades for him to recover from. His Pilgrim brothers having no easy way to comfort him. Guanyin weeps for her adoptive son/brother as he sobs into their arms. Even the Ten Kings feel the Monkey King's sorrow from a Realm away - out of pity, Ksitigarbha ensures that the Egg's soul is kept safe for a time until when they may rejoin their parent.

DBK and PIF are informed of what happened, the two overwhelmingly sympathetic from their own losses. The birth of Red Son was the first light in Wukong's life for a long time after his tragedy. But he still fantasies of what sort of person his cub may have turned out to be if they had made it.

Then around 500 years before the present day, Wukong finally decides once and for all to take the initiative and bring his child back into the world - even if it means his own passing.

DBK's reaction to learning of his younger brother's intentions is... volcanic to say the least.

Wukong, already despairing the loss of his first child, his mate, and his Pilgrim brothers, now becomes responsible for the imprisonment of his older brother and the separation of his family. The very same people who got him through the toughest point of his life!

Informing Nezha that he intends on a "extended meditation" on his island, Wukong makes the preparations.

He wraps himself in Macaque's scarf before he buries himself into the dirt of Water Curtain Cave, only Nezha, PIF, and his dear Stalwarts privy to his location.

And he sleeps.

Until the reincarnated form of his dearest brothers find him.

[quitealotofsodapop]

The Egg Aus where Wukong spends a significant amount of time in Heaven, Peaches, and TMKATI Wu have glasses. Basically his eyes are so fucked up from the Furnace that he actually has terrible eyes sight and that's why he 'can't read.' It's not that he never learned how, he jsut can't see shit unless he's using Gold Vision due to the injuries he sustained during the Havoc in Heaven

YUP

we be talking in dms about this - Wukong needs glasses/eye care. I have an older TMKATI post about it here + here + Goddess of Eyesight.

Although our dear monkey boy is a medical nerd, he's terrified of actually seeing someone for his own ailments (getting nearly executed a bunch by celestials does that to you).

But in the cases where his adoptive family (mortal or celestial) get a hold of him, they demand he seek medical help for his obvious scars and eye problems.

Man can't read not because he can't but because he can't see. He ain't got his prescription!

Princess Yanguang - Goddess of Eyesight, is so hilarious to remember, since she's almost achingly normal compared to the rest of her family.

Yanguang: "Mother, Father, there's something I truly desire and I wish for your blessing." Jade Emperor & Xiwangmu, sharing panicked thoughts: "Oh crap, she's in love, isn't she?" "She's always been so independent, she's never shy to ask something she wants." Yanguang: "i want to study Optometry." Jade Emperor & Xiwangmu: (*MASSIVE sighs of relief!*) Jade Emperor: "Oh thank the Pure Ones, I thought it was something terrible. Yeah, you can go study eye medicine or what have you." Yanguang: "Sweet." (*goes to Earth and stays as an immortal Optometrist*)

this of course leads to hilarious interactions with Wukong/Peaches, whom she manages to convince to let her look at his damaged eyes.

Wukong: "Yeah they've been red and gold since the Furnace. Ever since then I've been able to activate Gold Vision." Yanguang: "You burned your corneas, dumbass." Wukong: "Huh?" Yanguang: "Glamours don't work on people with already damaged eyesight. Your species likely has Gold Vision-built in and it activates with sight decay." Wukong: "Sooooo... about glasses-" Yanguang: "You need them. And you desperately need eye drops. Same thing happened with Tieshan's boy when he kept setting fire to everything." Wukong: "Dang it."

Peaches/Wukong chooses to wear contacts most of the time for appearance’s sake, and he dislikes the feeling of "stuff" on his head (circlet and celestial trauma). He does bust out the glasses if he just needs to read something real quick.

We also pointed out in the DMs that with Wukong having Gold Vision, Macaque having his Six Ears, and MK being the Worst Liar Ever, the monkeys accidentally form;

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil;

Divine monkeys be anti-scamming measurements.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Had to format this weirdly cus I accidentally answered it privately to @soniclozdplove and lost it. Transcript is in image descriptions if this is too fuzzy:

Prev art ref.

Oh boy, the first thing that happens to Macaque straight after that reveal?

A sock in the jaw. From five different fists.

Also a burning toddler catapulting themselves at his groin area.

The only reason Macaque isn't sent straight back to Diyu in that moment is the appearance of the world's best referee;

Kṣitigarbha gave the Mercy Goddess a heads up when they sensed the Six Eared Macaque busting out of the Underworld.

Guanyin: "I plea that you halt your hands." Wukong: "Guanyin?" Macaque, surprised and beaten: "The mercy god?" Tang: (*faints*) Rest of the Gang: (*drop to a bowing pose*) Red: "Hi Auntie!" Tieshan, fan still pointed at Macaque: "Give us a single reason we should let this beast live." Guanyin: "His words and remorse are true. He had not known of the First Egg's existence when he engaged Sun Wukong in battle all those centuries ago." Wukong, still furious: "Whether it was deliberate or not - he still caused the death of ou- my first child! How can I be certain that he won't cause harm to this one?!"

The back and forth probably lasts hours or even days. And soon, Macaque realises that he needs an ultimatum.

Macaque: "Wukong, if there's any way for me to prove that I only wish to repair the damage I've done, please let me!" Wukong: "How?! How could you do anything to prove to me that you won't be a threat to them?!" Macaque: (*pauses in thought when his gaze falls upon the bodhisattva. The irony is almost hilarious.*) Macaque, pained sigh: "When I had stolen the scriptures from your Master, I only wished to free you of your duty to him, and free you from the Circlet." Wukong: "What does that have to do with the egg?" Macaque, kneels before Guanyin: "Bodhisattva, in order to prove my vow to protect Sun Wukong and his future cub; I ask that you give him the means to disable me if I ever become a threat once more." Guanyin: "What you ask for is no light request. You were willing to lie to the Buddha himself to remove the very same astra from your mate. If you take the burden for yourself, I cannot guarantee it will ever be removed." Wukong, eyes widen as he realises what's happening: "Macaque! You're not asking to-!" Macaque, firm: "I understand what I'm asking for. I also ask that both Nezha and Tieshan are taught the disabling mantra. I now understand that they have protected you and our island for far longer than I have. If anyone is to be trusted to monitor my actions, it's them." Guanyin: "What say you, Third Lotus Prince?" Nezha: "I... this is a bit unexpected... but I agree to act as the Macaque's warden. If he's truly seeking forgiveness, the Circlet will disallow him from straying." Guanyin: "And you, Iron Fan Princess?" Tieshan: (*points her weapon dangerously at Macaque's face*) Tieshan: "Do not think of this is an acceptance of apology, beast. If collaring you is what is required to keep Wukong and his child safe, I will accept my part in your punishment." Guanyin: "Then it shall be done. Liu'er Mihou, I now bind you with the Golden Tightening Fillet, so that you may be given the chance to prove your atonement." (*a light envelops Guanyin's hand as they bring it to Macaque's head, the shadow monkey grimacing as he feels the metal band encompass his crown. Wukong is shocked silent.*) Macaque, turns to Wukong with a hopeful smile: "Told you I was serious." Wukong, dumbfounded: "You... I guess you are."

Pigsy promptly asks what just happened, and why is the jerk monkey wearing jewellery now? Tang nearly faints again. Red Son demands to see the fillet in action and Iron Fan decides to amuse him.

Macaque's head is pounding for days afterwards.

Many hours later, with Macaque in the equivalent of a bright padded room, Wukong asks Macaque something important.

Wukong: "When?" Macaque, scratching his sore brow: "When what?" Wukong,: "When did you learn that they existed?" Macaque, eyes droop sadly: "When I greeted the Ten Kings and Kṣitigarbha in Diyu. They assured me that the cub's soul would be returned soon." Wukong, heart skipping: "Returned?" Macaque: "To you. I tried to offer something up to give them back to you right away but... it was out of my hands." Wukong, ghosts hand over stomach: "So you decided to escape when you heard they were coming back?" Macaque: "I did. I don't know where I escaped from, but I managed it. It was so dark and cold... all I could hear was my own thoughts and the winds of the Underworld. Then one day I hear one of the Ten Kings mention that The Monkey King's Cub is to be born soon, and I just saw white and-" Wukong, shushing: "Shhh. You don't have to keep explaining yourself. Though I'm still furious... You're clearly trying to make it better. I pray that the Egg is born in a time I can find myself forgiving you." Macaque: "Me too, peaches. Me too."

As his beloved King leaves the secure room, Macaque's hand switches from the circlet on his brow to the marriage pendant hidden beneath his clothing.

His vow is true. As is still his love for his mate. No matter how much he's hurt him, knowingly or not.

Also he should probably figure out what the heck the White Bone Spirit wanted out of him when she helped him escape the Underworld. He was a bit too occupied to pay attention.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Tang's shrieked tang through the air. Sandy and Pigsy shared a glance before the both of them rushed into the forest, following the sound of their friend. When they burst from the foliage, through the cave they swore wasn't there before, and into the clearing they were met with a shocking sight. The first thing they noticed was the giant peach tree with a rather nice looking if rundown hut by a cliffside. The next thing they noticed was their friend on the ground, pointing dramatically st something at the tree's roots, a pair of young children they never met before clinging to his back as they tried to peek at whatever it was that had Tang so shocked.

As they approached the pig squinted, trying to see what was so special. It looked like some sort of rock was sticking out of the dirt, likely dug up by the kids based on the dirt on their claws and clothing. The only thing special about it was the fact it seemed to be a statue of a monkey, but as Pigsy watched a break akin to an eggshell breaking suddenly appeared at where it's heart would have been, as gold leaked through the cracks. At the same time, Pigsy began to feel a low buildup of power, his limited senses telling him it's coming from the statue. Realizing what's happening, Pigsy grabbed Tang and pulled him back.

"Tang... TANG GET BACK!!"

There was an explosion of golden light and debris as the statue shattered, exploding outward in the wave of dirt and stone. Covering his face, Pigsy could not make out much, but he could have sworn he saw a silhouette within open glowing red and gold eyes before the light snuffed itself out as suddenly as it came. Taking a peek, he found that in the statues place was a suddenly VERY real monkey covered in so much dust and dirt it was impossible to tell the natural color of its fur. As he watched, the monkey demon fell forward, nearly handing on the dirt had Sandy not moved to catch it. His old friend held the creature in his arms tenderly as he checked for a pulse.

"He's got a pulse!"

Holy dumplings... the monkey was ALIVE! And it proved it too by letting out a huge gasp and coughing before falling silent as Sandy rubbed it's back, falling back into sleep as Sandy carefully lifted him, cradling him as he would a kitten as he looked over at the hut.

"He's been through a lot, we need to get him somewhere safe!"

"NOT SO FAST!!"

A feminine voice rang through the clearing as the wind began to pick up around them, whipping about at inadvertently typhoon as a woman in red with a strange, horn like hair style appeared. The older of the two children, a red bull calf, let out a squeal.

"MAMA!!"

The woman spared a soft smile as the child ran towards her, hiding behind her skirt, before her gaze hardened and she shifted and pointed the biggest fan Pigsy had ever seen in his life in their direction threateningly.

"Let him go. You know not what you risk by awakening my brother from his rest, leave him be and return to your ship, never step foot upon this island again!"

Century Stone Egg au!!

Tang thinking he found a super-cool artifact after trying to stop two weird toddlers from jumping into a waterfall. Only for the "artifact" to be the prone form of a suspiciously familar monkey demon!?

And now Princess Iron Fan is here!?!

Tang is screaming both from her threat, and from fanboy-ing over meeting her!

And maybe a little from realising that the little bull demon thats been bossing him around for past half hour is likely The Red Child!?

The exact moment PIF brought her baby over, Red Son was off like a rocket towards The Waterfall. He knew from stories about "Uncle Shihou" that the Waterfall was important to him. And if Red Son wanted his Baba free, he needed Uncle's help!

Only for a certain baby dragon (camping with her parents) to see an odd flame deep in the jungle and go flying/toddling off after it.

And for a wandering washed-ashore scholar to see these baby dragon and demon get too close to a waterfall and get worried!

Red Son: "Hmm. To find Uncle, I'll need to go through this waterfall. But Mama says I'm not supposed to do things like that with an adult to help me..." Bby Mei: (*pondering baby dragon noises*) Tang, out of breath from running: "Why *huff* are you two *huff* so close to the waterfall? It's dangerous!" Red Son: "Oh look, there's an adult. Now we can jump in." Tang: "Eh!?" (*Red Son grabs the scholar by the hand and pulls him, running full speed at the waterfall. Mei clings to Tang's back, giggling excitedly. Tang is screaming*)

Wukong had placed "exceptions" on his Waterfall seal to allow people/souls he deemed safe to find his baby, should the Stone Egg process take his life.

We also discussed PIF refering to Wukong as "Shihou", esp in stressful situations. It was the name Bull was allowed call him, a privilege of the King's closest family members.

PIF tries to downplay *who* the dirty monkey is by referring to him by "Shihou" - only for Tang to find a certain circlet-shaped scar and perk up with "Sun Wukong!?! Lore?!"

THEN Nezha shows up, summoned by the distressed Ao-Long couple to help find their missing pup. He immediately starts freaking out too.

[quitealotofsodapop]

When Tieshan told Macaque of the scarf, she knew what she was doing. She may not know much of Ancient Stone Monkey culture, but she had 500 years, a mountain full of lost stories and secrets regarding the clan, and quite the incentive to learn as much as she could. After all, it could literally be the difference between life and death for Wukong and his second try at parenthood. She wasn't going to risk sowmthing as simple as a lack of knowledge from stopping her...

So somewhere on that island she came across a depiction of Stone Monkey mourning rituals, including how some monkeys would choose to bury themselves beside their mates during the Stone Egg ritual, or lacking a proper resting place, with their mate's former items so that the dao of their mate would be absorbed by their Egg. A way for their mate to live on through their child, so to speak. This means she knows what it means for Wukong to have buried himself with Macaque's scarf and continue to wear it as a waist wrap even now. And she knows Macaque and Marshall Ma knows it, too.

Pigsy asks her how she knew mentioning the scarf would get Macaque out of his funk.

Pigsy: How the hell did you know that would work!?

Tieshan: Because despite not being raised by them, Macaque is still a Stone Monkey of the Lotus-Eared variant. In their culture, to bury oneself with something covered in their mate's dao is to wish for the cub to absorb the dao and have a piece ofntheir mate pass on to the cub, if not in blood, then in spirit. We can see in Xiaotian's coloration how Wukong and Macaque's dao had mixed together to create a child that looks like both parents.

Marshall Ma: Wukong would have known about this as well, the Elder whom led us before Wukong had taken the throne of the Stone Matriarch had raised him with as much knowledge about the Stone Monkeys as he could before he passed.

Xiwangmu, interested: Stone Matriarch? I have not heard of such a being.

Marshall Ma: 'Tis the title of Wukong's predecessor, the one whom Azure claims to be Lady Sonzi's reincarnation. We know her as the Stone Matriarch of Flower Fruit Mountain. She had led our predecessor tribe before the Floods. It is said she had left an egg bearing her Heir upon the Mountain, the very same one Wukong had hatched from. It is why we made him the Monkey King once he had discovered the ancestral palace behind the Water-Curtain Cave.

Prev.

Tieshan did spend about 500 years watching the island as it's vigil, and protector. She and the Stalwarts had many times come together for meals and chats. The topic of mourning rituals came up when she expressed a comparison to Wukong's state to that of a funeral burial. The Stalwarts were quick to show her the murals inside of Water Curtain Cave, relaying the stories Elder passed on to them from his time. How the Stone Monkeys not could form a vestal child from their own Dao, but from the Dao of lost spouses - given that they buried themselves at their side or with their belongings so that the couple had a chance to produce a shared child.

Tieshan recalls how her sworn-brother's favourite scarf was last seen in Wukong's arms...

The reveal that Macaque is Xiaotian's other parent (spiritually and genetically) is enough for him to shake out of his funk - not only did Wukong still love him after all that happened, but he made an effort to ensure that his second child would be born with Macaque's life energy!

I like to think that before they leave Flower Fruit Mountain; Xiwangmu and the Jade Emperor make a point of finding one of Shíhuā's shrines/statues and sitting down to just... talk. Both to each other and to their daughter (or whomever she became). They ask her if she was happy in that life. Mention how her son can be such a handful at times but they care for him still.

Guanyin witnesses this from a distance. Tears roll down their face as it hits how the two royals truly see them their kin. They weren't lying when they called Guanyin their daughter, and Wukong their grandson.

[quitealotofsodapop]

When Wukong was rescued, not course, he didn't let Azure be taken away or anything without one thing. He insisted on approaching the lion and taking something Azure had stolen from him back.

A little amethyst pendant with a black braided cord that Xiwangmu remembered seeing Wukong clutching to his chest like a noble woman's favored pearls. Macaque took one look at it and realized what it was..

Macaque: You... you kept that!?

Wukong, emotional: of course I did. You'd kept yours, didn't you?

Xiwangmu is suddenly feeling very emotional as she and the Emperor realize the significance of the little orange pendant with an orange chord around Macaque's neck.

Yes!!! The marriage pendant idea! Base post: here.

Stone Monkeys exchanging pendants made of their own hair + birth stone (literally the gemstone from their birth stone egg or barring that a replica) as a marriage tradition!

I just adore that even after everything thats happened between Shadowpeach, neither can let go of the one item that proves that they're a bonded pair. And reminds them of the other no matter how far they are apart.

Wukong at first wondering if Macaque is being truthful that he's back to make amends, and catches a glimpse of shining orange around the shadow's neck while he's readjusting his (new) scarf. Wukong's hand shoots to his own pendant hidden under hanfu against his heart, kept as close as possible to him when he buried himself. Thats when he knew that his mate was being honest - for not even in death Macaque dared to be parted with his marriage pendant.

The royal couple aren't sure of the significance of the monkeys' pendants at first, but they seem themed in a way. The Emperor even wonders if he recognises the very same amethyst shard on Sun Wukong's neck back when he was slated for execution - since no amount of physical force or magic able to remove it. Lao Tzu even tested if it was a source of the monkey's immortality, but confirmed that it itself was merely unable to be destroyed by anyone but the holder. They hadn't bothered looking in further. Now he knows why the King clutched it so tightly when each attempt on his life failed.

To think that the pendants were proof of their bond as much as a legal document or wedding ring was a shock to say the least! The fact that Azure Lion held Wukong's pendant hostage as a sign of "ownership" also brings a foul taste to everyone's mouths.

Xiwangmu now realises why Guanyin insisted on saving the shell of Xiaotian's egg after his birth - the bodhisattva remembering the significance from their past life. The little orange and yellow geode was being kept safe on Flower Fruit Mountain by the Four Stalwarts - personal witnesses to Wukong and Macaque's fumbled proposals.

I love this so much (⌒ω⌒)

[quitealotofsodapop]

Someone asks Wukomg why he adnt simply told them about his mother the first time around. Probably an old friend or perhaps even Erlang or Nezha.

Wukong, somewhat hysterical because he's still trying to process this whole thing: You think I knew!? How would I have possibly known!?

Celestial: I mean, you did lash out and cause the Great Havoc back in the day, demanding to be called the Jade Emperor's equal and all. Calling yourself the Great Sage and all.

Wukong: I demanded to be called Equal to Heaven, not the Emperor's equal! I wanted the respect that was owed to me as a fellow ruler, albeit of a smaller nation, who was personally invited to ping your court by the Emperor... *pauses* and also immortality.

Celestial: How could you not know!? We keep records for that sort of thing for a reason!

Wukong: You guys realize I grew up on an isolated island as an orphan and am its first recognized ruler since the Great Flood, right? That's well over a millenia of forgotten and lost history!

Prev.

Wukong panicking and denying all the evidence cus... lets be real, he's having an emotional breakdown at learning his family history.

Wukong is quick to point out that he erased himself from the Book of the Dead - so he or anyone else checking would have not been privy to such information. Even the Queen Mother only saw a crossed-out name below Shíhuā's scroll. Though many Celestials remain skeptic of whether or not the Monkey King truly knew.

Now all of Heaven believes that the Havoc was the result of an angry heir to the throne wanting to be recognised for what they were.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Wukong and Macaque end up practically moving to the Celestial Realm for the time beong, not to join the Celestial Body like Azure believes, but simply out of convenience and because of the revelations about their family history that were revealed to the entire Celestial Court during Azure's coup.

With such accusations thrown at Wukong regarding his heritage and the Jade Emperor not denying it, the Celestials all but demanded a rest to be done to verify Azure's words It wasn't the first time someone tried to claim to be a royal or noble's reincarnation or related to someone's reincarnation, and there are tests and trials in place to verify. When the test came out positive, Wukong was now officially confirmed as the son of Sonzi's first reincarnation and that sort of Pandora's Box cannot be closed. He is now, by spirit and blood, a member of the royal family and entitled to everything that comes with it.

That and his consistent health issues mean that despite his and Macaque's reluctance to be in Heaven, Macaque still had his community service to do and Wukong needed time to recover and to deal with a lot of bureaucratic bullshit what with him now being recognized as a Celestial Prince, it's just easier for the new family to just stay where they are to deal with all that and a commute from Flower Fruit Mountain. Plus after the coup the Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu are very reluctant to let their newly discovered grandson and great-grandson out of their sight.

Prev.

Nezha and Erlang were personally overseeing Macaque's community service (lots of cleaning the horse stalls bimawen-style) when the Brotherhood strikes.

So when Azure comes before the Celestial Court with Princess Songzi's Scrolls claiming that Sun Wukong is a lost Celestial Prince, Heaven is missing its two biggest warriors.

And when Peng appears, clutching both Wukong and his cub in their talons, Macaque isn't there to go kaiju on them.

The Celestial Court demands a test be done to deny the Brotherhood's claim, especially when the royal couple start sweating nervously at the accusation.

The Jade Emperor does something no one would ever thonk possible; he kneels before the Brotherhood to ensure the safety of Sun Wukong and his cub.

And after the coup is dealt with (courtesy of a released and furious DBK + a sympathetic Yellow Tusk), the monkeys still have to keep their "temporary" home in Wukong's old attendant quarters for the time being while the heat dies down. And for the monkeys health since Wukong us still recovering, and Macaque's own "condition" is discovered (note the latter is the only reason DBK hasn't turned Macaque into paste).

The Stalwart laugh when they learn about it. They had been trying to ease Wukong into leaving the island the last few centuries (barring his stasis), and now he's a whole Realm away! XD

[quitealotofsodapop]

Alsowe beentalkingin the notes, but this deserves its own ask. Imagine, just a moment, Xiwangmu and Jade Emperor's reaction to Wukong's miscarriage. Both when the event happens... and later on, when a very pregnant Sun Wukong stands before them pleading for sanctuary when the Lady Bone Demon threatens him and his second unborn cub, and during the proceeds, they discover who Wukong's mother was.

On one hand, the Jade Emperor's actions had directly led to Wukong being on that Journey, had he and the Buddha not sealed him under the mountain or had he been more patient or merciful towards Wukong, more understanding, the monkey might never have lost his first born. The sheer guilt he must have felt when he learned of the miscarriage.

On the other, Wukong is now standing before him, humble in a way he had never seen the monkey in his entire life, pregnant with a rainbow baby, and pleading for help to keep them safe. And then, shortly after pledging his assistance, he discovers that Wukong had, in fact, been his spirit grandchild this entire time! This means that child he still felt guilty and remorse for all these years later... enough to promise one of his greatest enemies of all time his protection... had been his firstborn great-grandson.

And that's just the emperor. That's nothing on how Xiwangmu feels. She'd already inadvertently cursed her female heirs to have difficult pregnancies, and now she discovers that false to the sole male heir that are capable of procreation without a partner amd he had already lost a cub once.

Prev. Lots of talking in the Notes.

Recap: Once Macaque realises that LBD will stop at nothing to be free and enact her plans for world destruction, he decides that he must find a way to prove that he's sorry to the person he's hurt the most. So he asks Guanyin to give him the Circlet to ensure that he can never hurt Wukong, his child, or his friends, ever again.

This act convinces Wukong (and somewhat the others) that Macaque is being honest in his remorsefulness. But he isn't quite back to speaking terms just yet.

Of course LBD still gets loose, manipulating a fiery little bull calf who just wanted his family to be happy and whole again in to using her Skeleton Key.

And with Bull still imprisoned and Wukong too weakened in his condition to free him, there's no chance of reforging the Samadhi Fire.

So Sun Wukong, along with his reincarnated Pilgrim brothers and his new allies (and his former-mate, arrested by Nezha), comes before Heaven and Hell seeking help in saving the world.

The courts ask him for why he cannot defeat the White Bone Spirit as he'd done before, only for the Great Sage to reluctantly explain that he is with child and cannot fight her in his condition.

The silence inside the courtroom is deafening.

For you see, Xiwangmu was privy to the loss of Wukong's First Egg the moment he cried out to the Heavens at also losing his mate. She had not known he was able to carry young, but was heartbroken on his behalf nonetheless. The Jade Emperor too felt remorseful, the monkey he had punished so severely sobbing into his wife and daughters' arms at the loss of both his child and mate. The Jade Emperor find himself crying too, him and his wife know the pain of a parent losing their child all too well.

So now there's Sun Wukong the once self-declared Great Sage Equal to Heaven, before them once more after nearly five centuries of hiding. His belly round (a "Rainbow Baby" the Ao-Long family calls it) and his eyes watery as he pleads for their help.

Macaque still receives a gruelling Trial. Xiwangmu in particular is not forgiving of the actions that lead to the loss of Wukong's first child. Luckily the Ten Kings and Kṣitigarbha are there to explain the shadow monkey's sheer guilt and grief at learning of the First Egg's existence, and how his despair was so great that something older than Diyu itself had consumed him. And how his soul soared to revive after it was announced that the child was soon to be reborn. The actions of a remorseful mate and future father (both eggs still containing his dao) wishing for penance from his immortal mate in order to reunite with them in the world of the living.

The fact that Macaque was willing to bargain his soul to a primordial Bone Demon is forgiven given his reasoning to return.

The world below continues to freeze and crumble as Sun Wukong and his allies plea for Heaven's assistance.

The Jade Emperor gives the command for the armies of Heaven to begin chipping away at the Bone Demon's corruption. Xiwangmu barely has time to come forward and bless Wukong's child when the heroes leave to join the fight.

A lot of chaos happens on the ground. The Bone Demon becomes frustrated that her threats of death and attempts of control do not work on Macaque, the Circlet on his head incapacitating him with a single syllable from Nezha, Tieshan, or Tang's lips. He smiles at the demon through clenched teeth as she tries to drag his limbs forward, accepting the pain of the Circlet if it means he can no longer hurt his allies.

The Thrall is quickly dealt with. Sandy still has yet to take his vow of pacifism when he gets his hands on the smiling puppet that's been harassing his friends the last couple of months.

So LBD decides to do the next best thing. If she needs the Harbinger's soul to complete her weapon, what's better than possessing it's power-drained parent?

Wukong and Macaque are forced to fight once more, this time in order for Macaque to save Wukong and the Egg from LBD's possession. LBD's hold is broken when Macaque grabs Wukong's hands, interlocking them with his own, and places them against the King's round stomach. Kicks so strong and healthy that both cannot help to feel and hear it. Wukong sobs with joy, his baby and his mate are truly alive once more!

LBD screams and rushes towards Wukong - deciding that if she cannot destroy this world, she will destroy the simian or his whelp once and for all.

A sky-shattering roar erupts as a massive war-form of a Spiritual Monkey endures the demoness's strike.

But it's not Wukong.

Macaque proves in this moment that he is truly Sun Wukong's equal. In front of Heaven, Hell, Earth, their troop, and more importantly; Wukong himself.

Not much is left of LBD for the Ten Kings to collect. They grant Macaque an aquittal for neutralizing a threat to all the Realms, allowing him to remain on Earth with his mate and future child.

As the adrenalin drops, Macaque reverts to his normal form, now painted with sickly blue vines and patches of fur bleached white from the attack of death magic. Through his pain, he asks Wukong if he and the Egg are ok. Wukong wraps his arms around his mate for the first time in millennia, sobbing with thanks and relief.

The Egg continues kicking violently as it's parents reconcile, annoyed by all the disturbance. Eventually it decides that it should make it's presence known in a *louder* way.

(*Wukong still hugs Macaque tight*) Macaque, ears flickering: "What's that water balloon sound?" Wukong: "Huh? What water-" Wukong: (*look of realisation and terror as his water breaks*) Guanyin, teleporting onto the scene: "IT'S GO TIME PEOPLE."

And of course you can imagine the joy and tiredness that follows in the birth of "Little Heaven". And the uncertainty when both of their parents are put on tight medical observation, Wukong from nearly dying in childbirth, and Macaque from his injuries. All of Heaven adn Hell seems to come forward to aid the small family's survival.

Pigsy ends up being the only one able to calm and feed the crying newborn in absence of their parents. Tieshan nearly moves back into the palace as she helps tend to her brother-in-law and his family, not caring if all of the Celestial Realm sees her or her half-demon child. Guanyin sits like a vigil over the two monkeys, rarely even moving out of fear of missing their awakening.

Xiwangmu becomes suspicious of her reincarnated daughter's attitude during this time and decides to investigate some things in the Underworld. And of course you can imagine how her and the Jade Emperor feels when they discover that Wukong's own mother was the first reincarnation of the same lost eldest daughter. And that the very child Wukong had lost all those years ago was their first great-grandchild. And how much they feel guilt at the fact Xiwangmu's curse had spread to her grandson - taking his both his mother and his first child, while even nearly taking his life in the birth of his second.

Xiaotian - the "Little Heaven" - is almost literally a rainbow in the lives of everyone who encounters him from then on.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Century egg. I don't know of this has already been discussed but I imagine that bull and PIF (and maybe Nehza) find out about Wukong's miscarriage from the pilgrims.

The others are trying to convince Wukong to let someone else take his place, he still hasn't fully covered mentally and it's dragging out his physical recovery as well. DBK, PIF, and Nehza are confused, and maybe a little insulted on Wukongs behalf, until Wukong snaps "I will not let the grief for my child cost my brothers!" And oh, that both explains and raises so many questions.

OOOOOOooooo

You're right. Wukong would have lost his First Egg a long time before the infamous Samadhi Fire Ritual.

And even if his and Macaque's fight (and his dear moon's death) hadn't been the factor to losing the pregnancy, Wukong would still be grieving terribly in the later arcs of the Journey.

But he wouldn't let it show when he learned that his sworn brother's child was slowly dying from the primordial flame he hosted.

DBK, PIF, and Nezha do not want Wukong at the ritual at first. But it's hard to convince Wukong not to help.

For the Monkey King; hearing the bull calf's laugh-like crying turn to sleepy coos helped a great deal in healing his heart.

But causing the fire to split and hit Ao Lie broke it all over again.

[quitealotofsodapop]

after re-reading this post about Bai He in the Century Stone Egg au, I just realised that in any au where MK has a different parent or is raised by someone else (example Wukong and/or Macaque), Pigsy is a natural dad without a kid.

So easy way to fix this?

Pigsy (+Tang) having a kid in the form of Bai He.

Chef Pigsy's perfect baby girl who can do no wrong - except according to her Papa Tang who often reminds his husband of their daughter's unfinished homework.

A tiny little girl bold enough to chase alley cats, and ends up harbouring a primordial entity while her parents tear across all of China to find a way to free her.

Perhaps still a cat demon

[quitealotofsodapop]

I'm just imagining , for a few hours at least, Macaque wondering if he should even try to rescue Wukong from Azure in the Century Egg AU. After all, he was a shitty mate who caused his expecting partner to lose his baby. He knows Azure would never do that, the Lion loves kids, he would dote on Wukong...

Then Macaque hits himself with reality.

Prev.

yess.

In Macaque's mind, all he's done by coming back is bring more trouble with him. Azure on the other hand has made Wukong literally Empress of the Universe. How could he compete?

I imagine that the shadow monkey has a breakdown once all the gang comes together to plan their next move. Sitting listlessly in the corner of Wukong's hut.

Luckily he's in a room full of critics;

Pigsy: "We have to find a way to get him and the kid out of there!" Sandy: "Mr McQuack has shadow powers - maybe he can sneak in!" Macaque, gloomily: "I can't." Pigsy: "What do you mean you can't!?" Macaque: "All I've done for last nearly two thousand years is hurt Wukong. I hurt him when I left him under that mountain. I hurt him when I attacked the Monk. I hurt him with my death. I literally killed our first child! Azure has made him an Empress... all I've done is made him a widow. Ever since I came back, everything has gone wrong!" Tang: "Now thats not true!" Macaque: "IT IS! I helped bring the Lady Bone Demon back to life and nearly destroyed the world! I got Wukong possessed by her! And Wukong nearly died having Xiaotian! How has me being here made any positive change to his life!?" (*Mortal and immortal eyes avoid Macaque's gaze, all but one.*) Tieshan: "Your scarf." Macaque: "What?" Tieshan: "Your red scarf. The one you wore every day for almost a millennium. The one you died wearing. Where do you think it went after the earth took your body?" Macaque: "Why does that-" Tieshan: "What do you think Wukong wrapped himself in when he set out to make his second child?" Macaque: (*struck silent, eyes widening with realisation*) Marshal Ma, steps forward: "She's correct. Wukong made sure to be buried wearing only items that belonged to you. He thought that in some far-off way, both your Dao could survive in the child if neither of you were truly meant for this world." Macaque: "He... what does that mean? Why would he-" Tieshan: "He loved you Liu'er. He still loves you. Even when you hurt him in possibly the worst way imaginable, he still cried for you. He never stopped loving you." Macaque: (*openly crying*) "He... he would have been better off with me still dead." Xiwangmu: "I must understand something Liu'er Mihou - because you seem to not know yourself; why did you come back?" Macaque: "I..." Xiwangmu: (*gives him a stare that could set a inferno*) Macaque: "I... my ears told me that the soul I had taken was to be reborn. Reunited with Wukong. I wanted to be there to protect them both. I didn't know it meant literally returned as his child when I went searching for it." Sandy: "Explains why you tried so hard for him to let your stay then. You both still wanted a shot at having a family together." Macaque: "I did..." Pigsy, furious/annoyed: "You do. Get it into your head, bub! Wukong is stuck in that throne room in the arms of some creep, who could just decide some day to toss the kid off the cloud if he so pleases! Are you just going to mope here while that happens!?" Macaque, invigorated: "NO!" Pigsy: "Then what are you going to do?!" Macaque: "I'm- I'm going to need Bull." Pigsy: "Not the answer I was looking for but ok." Macaque, turns to the royals: "Emperor, my Lady, I must ask I great favour of you." Jade Emperor: "Go ahead." Macaque: "Azure will not stand to let even a trace of my magic inside the palace grounds - but he's been in a fair mood since Peng and Yellow Tusk have been returned to him. If we can play into that sense of camaraderie, we can get someone on the inside to smuggle Wukong and the baby out of there." Xiwangmu: "Consider his sentence null and void in the event that he helps saves my grandson and great-grandson." Tieshan, surprised: "Mother! You don't mean-" Xiwangmu: "Tieshan, currently your husband is my least disliked son-in-law. If he can help us retake the throne and save Sun Wukong, I will welcome him into our family with open arms." Tang, fanboying: "We're gonna release the Demon Bull King!!!" Red Son, appearing in a joyful whirlwind of fire: "YEAH!! Baba will kick their butts!" Tieshan: "AHH! Red Son! I thought I left you with the Ao-Longs!" Both of the Ao-Longs in dragon form: "You did." "He tried to take the baby back himself." Mei, mouth full of feathers: "I bit the birdy!"

Of course this leads to the conversation of who can lift the Staff to release DBK if Wukong isn't available.

Macaque isn't his mate's equal for nothing.

[quitealotofsodapop]

How do the people who believe in the "failed coming out party that lead to Havoc in Heaven" theory think it all went down? Asking because I'm genuinely curious on how that conclusion was made by the Celestials

Basically the Celestials assume something like this happened;

Emperor's weird grandson discovers origins while in the Underworld/ Gets upset and erases name from the Book of the Dead.

Grandson is invited to Heaven and becomes Bimawen.

Grandson wants to be seen as an equal to his royal grandparents and declares self "The Great Sage Equal to Heaven" to make a point.

Grandson amasses a coup to take over what he deems rightfully his.

Jade Emperor figures out that this weird monkey is his grandson, and makes him a Peach Attendant so to give him equal status among his daughters.

The Jade Emperor and Queen Mother intend on giving Sun Wukong his "Coming-Out Party" during the Peach Banquet, but some wires got crossed and Grandson thought he wasn't invited, leading to the Havoc.

Royal family too embarassed to say anything.

1300+ ya boy is back baking an heir to the throne + a spouse who's the sworn child of the Queen Mother's oldest friend.

Azure Lion and the remnants of the old Brotherhood bust in with this lore to snatch up the throne.

Jade Emperor and Xiwangmu put aside all past bad-blood with their daughter Princess Iron Fan to recruit their son-in-law the Demon Bull King to take back Heaven, Celestials officially learn of Prince Red.

Everybody now chilling at the palace.

Of course thats not 100% what happened, but the gossip mill works fast.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Imagine if the Trial in Century Egg was recorded, because they're in the modern day and while the Celestial Realm is very traditional I can imagine them taking advantage of some human technology and recording devices just make it easier so that their hands don't cramp as much and there isn't as much bias.

So somewhere there's a video recording of Wukong defending Macaque vehemently and then suddenly freezing as he realizes his baby is coming and he's in active labor, and everyone consequently freaking the hell out

Oh gosh, even if only recorded with magic or electronically by more modernized celestials, the recording of the "Trial of Sun Wukong vs Hell" would become viral across the Realms fast.

The celestial stenographer, someone who decided to add visual recordings to the trials a few centuries ago, is the one to capture the whole thing on film.

The most popular cut of the recording goes as follows;

Sun Wukong is furiously defending his mate against the celestial prosecution, his stomach startlingly round. The Six Eared Macaque, handcuffed by the Lotus Prince, is looking at the king with a mix of shock and adoration. Figures that look eerily like the historical Pilgrims sit in the stands. Sun Wukong suddenly pauses and looks down at his legs with a mix of confusion and embarrassment. Both the Bodhisattva Guanyin and the Queen Mother seemingly teleport to his side, lifting the pregnant monkey onto a cloud-stretcher as the reality of his current condition becomes clear. The entire court erupts into chaos as Guanyin declares that the King's baby is ready to arrive right that very moment! Both monkey demons shouting "WHAT!?" as the king is carried away. Prince Nezha, without much convincing, assists the Macaque in following his mate's path. The recording cuts just as the Jade Emperor himself seemingly slumps back in his throne at the realisation.

The recording itself wins over many demons and celestials that had been sceptical of Wukong's motivations. And hearing that the very same child he had hoarded immortality for was born mere minutes after the clip ended, makes a few feel a little guilty for doubting him.