#lmk oc: zhuāng jié

[rayalltheway]

Wan Ji/ Saria belongs to @journeytomonkiekid

I wanted to draw Wan Ji with my Macaque adoptive dad oc guy Zhuang Jie! I can imagine Macaque introducing Wan Ji to his long dead dad who came back to life would be quite a surprise, but I like to think they’d have a nice friendship and non-official in-law relationship ahbahabah

I think Zhuang Jie would definitely like Wan Ji a lot and would approve of her and Macaque’s relationship, especially since he’s seeing his son be happy and comfortable with her. He could tell her a lot of cute stories about what Macaque was like as a kiddo, and in the first drawing he’s giving her the address of his and Changbiyuan’s (his qpp) home

Many props to Wan Ji and Eclipse Apprentice:D

[rayalltheway]

ITS SO SOFT SO SWEET MY MAN LOOKS SO AMAZING AS HE DOES IN ALL MY MOOTS STYLES ARE U GUYS TRYING TO KILL ME

Eclipse apprentice yesterday now this I can’t take much more

THANK YOU TWINKLE I LOVE THE BABY GIRL SO MUCH

Great-grandpa Zhuang Jie has my heart. Y'all should read @fre-dream's 'meeting Chenguang' fic

[wildwitche]

yesterday I saw a post from @fre-dream, where you could take part in dtiys at will but this morning, there was no information about it, so I'm not sure if it's still relevant if not, then consider it just fanart of your wonderful and cute art

[rayalltheway]

A lil fic snippet for @journeytomonkiekid !

This was supposed to be part of soemthing bigger but I lost momentum lol but here we have Wan Ji and her father-in-law (my oc) hehe

——————————————————————————

“So, you’re not…back to life, exactly?” Wan Ji asked, hoping that question somehow came out okay.

“Well, we are…“ Zhuang Jie answered, not sounding any less neutral than before, but he still took a sip of his tea before continuing.

“I guess the best way I can put it is that we’re still technically ghosts, just in…fully corporeal forms. Even Changbiyuan can’t fully summarize how that works, so apologies, I’m not that much better off.” He smiled to himself a bit at that, clearly taking some humor in it, which made Wan Ji relax a bit more. She was alone with the elder man in Macaque’s dojo right now — who had made himself scarce during this topic of conversation, for fairly obvious reasons.

Despite the mutual understanding (at least, there was an assumption of such), Wan Ji noted that the lack of his son’s presence did bear some weight on Zhuang Jie — and when Wan Ji looked back up at him from her own drink, she saw the concern in his eyes as he regarded her.

“Does it bother you?” He asked, his tone genuine.

“What?” Wan Ji’s tails fluffed up a bit in surprise, and she quickly raised a hand in frantic reassurance. “Oh no, no, not at all! I just wanted to make sure I didn’t say or…assume anything…insensitive…” she explained, self-consciousness starting to grip her — but Zhuang Jie’s expression softened quickly, and he chuckled. She couldn’t help but hear Macaque at that moment.

“Don’t worry about that, I appreciate it. I don’t think there’s any easy way to put it. We both were dead, and…now we’re not. But we’re not going anywhere.” He said gently, and Wan Ji saw his eyes leave hers, gaze deepening at the purple training mat in front of them. “Not again.”

Wan Ji was still a little bit in wonder about this whole thing. Macaque having a father and stepparent who came back from the dead, sure, that was incredible and complicated…she wasn’t sure what to expect at first. But now she was seeing how this man was capable of such pure paternal warmth, in words and action. Even more so that it was currently directed at her. She was pretty sure he had genuinely smiled at her more in this one conversation than her father had in years. She…wasn’t really sure how she felt about that, honestly, so she was trying not to dwell on it. Besides, that didn’t matter right now.

“I am so sorry that you went through that, Zhuang.” Wan Ji spoke empathetically, welling up a bit when thinking of this sorrowful subject she’d been learning more about piece by piece over the last few weeks. “I can’t even imagine what it must��ve been like.”

“It’s alright. And please — don’t try to.” He said, looking back at her with reassurance. “I don’t want to overwhelm you with this topic if it’s uncomfortable to hear about. But don’t worry about offending me — I’m too old for that now.” He said with a joking smirk, and Wan Ji let out a snort.

“Point is, if you have any other questions, I’m fine to answer them, kiddo.”

“…You and Changbiyuan?” She questioned. Surprisingly, Zhuang Jie nodded without hesitation.“Of course. They’d like that, actually.” He stated plainly, and Wan Ji felt taken aback.

“Really?” She couldn’t help but say aloud, and she quickly felt herself regret it, her face warming in embarrassment when Zhuang Jie raised a brow at her questioningly.

“Sorry! It’s just, Macaque told me a little about…” She paused when feeling that same sinking in her gut, that same chill running over her…the memories of that demon.

“...What happened to them.” Zhuang Jie listened patiently as she took a moment to get her words together. “I guess I figured that asking them about it directly would possibly be…triggering for them.” She finished, nervously glancing up to see Zhuang Jie’s reaction. He was nodding contemplatively, unangered.

“That’s a fair assumption to make. When it comes to certain…details, you’re not wrong.” He clarified gravely, taking a moment before smiling lightly at the younger woman.

“But here’s the thing about Changbiyuan — you don’t know them well yet, but once you do, they’re an open book. Sometimes too much of one.” He said, and Wan Ji smiled back at him. It was sweet, hearing him talk about Changbiyuan. About Macaque, too, and seeing this…trust he was placing in her, a woman he basically just met. She briefly wondered just what she was missing.

“They definitely have many horrible memories, we both do. But they cherish the good ones with all of their heart, and want them to be known. If you want to ask them about their family…I think will make them really happy. Especially in this case. You’re someone we both hope to be close to.”

[rayalltheway]

Look in the mirror of my mind, turning the pages of my life, walking the path so many paced a million times

I know I’m sporadic with posting LWAU stuff nowadays but it still thrives

A cover for Part 2 of The Little Warrior AU, with the two old spirits

(This is inspired by “The Lovers” trailer btw)

[rayalltheway]

Okay let’s break down everything I love about this

- I love Qi Xiaotian and Long Xiaojiao just looking out from behind Zhuāng Jié like he’s already their grandpa:33333

- CHANGBIYUAN IS SO SO BEAUTIFUL SO FLUFFY AND SOFT LOOKING JUST PERFECTION AND ZHUANG LOOKS THE PERFECT MIX OF TIRED BUT SOFT AND SERIOUS AHHHHHH

- Just the expressions here are so unbelievably soft like - Chángbìyuán’s expressions and Zhuang’s gentle look back at them and then putting on that murder-glare as he watches over them sleeping I-

- The dialogue between them is just spot on this whole scene is canon now(cries)

@fre-dream Human Warrior watches over Super Powerful Monkey QQP while they sleep, which is the equivalent of a tiny dog watching over wealthy buff human owner, more at 11–

[rayalltheway]

Minor lmk s4 special spoilers//

Beach day old people anybody

[rayalltheway]

Young bi yuan

Hey LMK can I petition you to have a dual wielding character pls

I’m not an anime guy really but Demon Slayer motivated me to draw these cuz tbh it kinda slaps

+ Also bonus of an AU where young Zhuang Jie is there with them and Zhizhu

I call em the pepperblend trio (in a shippy sense as well)

[rayalltheway]

More LWAU stuff I forgot to post

1. Macaque helping Zhuang Jie out with his and Changbiyuan’s wedding, because he wants his dad to be happy becuase he can never pass up putting on a good show

2. P straight foward I drew Zhuang Jie as the Wolf for PiBTLW, tell me it doesn’t work sjnwhsbwhahah

[rayalltheway]

I am deceased, I have passed on, I am long for this world, spots take all my worldly possessions goodnight

Zaleť sokol, biely vták, ku môjmu milému, pozdravuj ho na stokrát, povedz tíško jemu, aby prišiel večer k nám, že ho pekne prosím, že ho veľmi rada mám, že ho v srdci nosím.

OCs + the little warrior AU belongs to @fre-dream

[rayalltheway]

“No matter what, I still want to be here with you. I will always, always, want to be here with you.”

What this whole AU has been really building up to, from where it all began

[rayalltheway]

Frilled Shark! Zhuāng Jié (LMK OC) before MerMay is over

(Liu Er could either be a shark pup or a funny lil octopus baby)

[rayalltheway]

The young macaque listened.

It was something he still struggled with at times, because the unique facility of his ears – being that there were six of them – once made it too painful an idea to even consider. Throughout the years, even from the time he could only hear memories of, he would find himself assaulted from all sides by noise whenever he so much as flicked his ears in discomfort. The rustle of leaves, the whistle of wind through bird feathers as they flew high in the sky, the clanking or shattering of cups from a house miles away, the shouts of human voices – that last one brought him the most fear whenever he heard it – the sounds all piled together in a chaotic chorus, and it hurt, especially when there was so much he couldn't understand about them.

But his bàba told him that was okay, because we fear the things we don’t understand.

There was much the man who took the little macaque as his own — who took him in turn — had taught him about distinguishing threats from safety, to find what he could depend on in this harsh world. While he couldn’t quite comprehend this power the macaque had, knowing to focus — to concentrate on what truly matters — was something he figured had an auditory match, something he suggested to his young son.

However, that skill was something the elder warrior had given the macaque before he knew it — from the very first moment he held him and spoke to him just when he wanted nothing more than all the sounds to just cease. Suddenly, the baby demon was intrigued by this low, gentle sound, with a characteristic edge of weary roughness, calming and soothing him like nothing he had ever heard before. It was something his ears could focus on, and something they soon sought for. His father understood this, and in a tone that was always careful of its pitch, assured his adoptive son of the good this gift of his could bring — and in times of fear or confusion, he could always find his voice, and could trust it when there was nothing else.

That voice — his baba’s voice — was the sound of warmth, safety, home — the little macaque’s whole world.

That’s why he listened now, seated by a small fire within this half-cave-half-temple refuge. This is where they had come to hide, where his father had instructed him to wait, because he needed to look ahead for danger and would come back if he could. If he could. And if he didn’t…that loving voice sang those final words of comfort to the little macaque, and told him that after a certain point, not to wait anymore. That's why he listened now, because it had already been a few days past that point of waiting his father had given him, and the little macaque stubbornly decided to himself he was not going anywhere until he found his voice again, somewhere out there. Or until…

He shook his head once, his ears as well, repriving only briefly, until he took in a deep, meditative breath – just as his father had taught him – and spread out his ears row by row, continuing to listen. He tried to focus on one sound at a time, searching through the chorus for a hint of his father’s voice. When he slipped, the sounds would once again rush his senses before he found a way to narrow himself down again, usually to the crackles of the fire in front of him, or the rushing of the nearby river.

When the stinging faded, the macaque would keep listening, searching well into the night, and several nights afterward.

Even when he finally chose to heed instruction leave his refuge, with nothing more than a lonely child’s resolution and his father’s guandao, he kept his ears open whenever he could. And whenever he though he caught a note of that voice, the little macaque listened.

And there, beneath the weight of all the other sounds of the world, he heard only silence.

———

Took a lil break from academic writing for this

[rayalltheway]

OHHHHH MY GOSH THIS IS SO COOL??? I LOVE THIS SO MUCH THANK YOU???

I’ve been thinking about these two and this scene SO HARD you don’t even know and they way you draw them is so SOFT THE HECK

Glad you like my OCs cuz I like em a lot myself HABSGVABA

@fre-dream Sorry if this is out of the blue but i had a very very strong urge from @ninja-knox-ur-sox-off  animatic (its so dang amazing btw..) to do a kinda..scene redraw?

I uh- hope you like it though! also kinda fits into the head-cannon voice for Chángbìyuán *finger guns?*

[rayalltheway]

Chángbìyuán, lil girl, holidays, and the art of war

I barely draw them (I barely draw a lot of things I should draw for this AU) but they have a sweet lil relationship, and meddle in Liu Er’s and Zhuang Jie’s relationship mending. It’s a matter of justice

Wish you all happy holidays and new year

[rayalltheway]

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

Cw// mentions of sex and producing children

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

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

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

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

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