#samadhi fire part 3

[imminent-danger-came]

Red Son: "The Samadhi Fire is more than just an inextinguishable flame, it's an interdenominational weapon with the destructive power to burn through the very fabric of reality!" Mei: "You mean—if I lost my cool on any of the million training exercises we've been doing, there was a chance that I could have exploded and destroyed the whole universe???"

Red Son: "Yes, that could of happened, but it didn't. My guess is that somehow your dragon ancestry has protected you. And if your strong enough to contain the Samadhi Fire, you're strong enough to use it."

(3x11 This Imperfect World)

-

Yellowtusk: "Perhaps our ambition to take the Jade Emperor's throne was premature. We miscalculated." Azure Lion: "No- This wasn't quite what we expected, but I will master this power! I will use it to create a new world order! If the Jade Emperor can contain this power, then so can I!"

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

Yellowtusk: "No more japes Peng! Azure can not control this power—he's tearing this world into pieces! I have done all I can to aid in containing it, but when he loses his hold—and he will—there will be no hope for this world!"

(4x12 The Plan Man)

-

Containing reality destroying power!

[angelcake10023]

Samadhi Fire Tang Au- Part 3

A Guilty Conscious

Previous/ Next

[royaltea000]

[wipinf] thinking bout that one part in jttw96 where nezha and hong hai er fight in a dream

[imminent-danger-came]

8- The Trapped Beast in My Heart 9- Sacrificing One's Life is Inhumane 10- Chaos and Choice

SAMADHI FIRE PART 3????? FOR ME???????????

LMK S5 Episode Titles

I had to use google translate but here are the episode titles in English under the cut

EPISODE TITLES WHICH MAY IMPLY SPOILERS UNDER CUT

1- Mysterious Bond 2- A Clever Plan to Fight the Ten Kings 3- Chuhui Nuwa Temple 4- Concentration Comes Naturally 5- True Fire Meets Again 6- Food Festival 7- Hero Breaks Into the Padoga 8- The Trapped Beast in My Heart 9- Sacrificing One's Life is Inhumane 10- Chaos and Choice

[abessive-art]

-- I'm gonna LOSE IT! [2/2]

[enka-antix]

OH MY GOD IS THAT HOW HE LOSES THE ARM? You said Wukong wasn’t the immovable object and instead this means he’s the unstoppable force

(side note: in physics there is an answer, the unstoppable force is light and the light goes through the immovable object.)

You said that Wukong loses an arm but by the end of the ritual we see that Wukong is still firmly un-dismembered (doublechecked with Google you can be alive and still be dismembered, and it one means the removal of a part not parts plural)

So, my theories are mostly that instead of extinguishing the fire(a provably impossible task,) they instead contain the fire in something or someone.

Theory 1: The pills are meant to weaken Wukong so that the fire sticks to him and does do the thing it did in the first ritual and retreat into the next most available host.

Theory 2: The pills are meant to weaken Wukong so that his arm can be removed for whatever reason (I’m banking on it being to detach the samadhi fire from Wukongs body and contain it in the severed arm, which would explain why you said that his arm can’t just grow back like his head does in JTTW the fire probably magically cauterized the wound)

Theory 3: the pills are meant to prevent the fire from bursting out of him like it did with Mei in the show.

Theory 4:The pills are magic plan B because shadowpeach /j

Theory 5: listen I’m running out of ideas please

theory number 3 is the closest :)

[iridescenttttttt]

This includes s5 spoilers!!

I think we as a fandom should talk more about how sun wukong has absolutely no self preservation, and how he has been self-sacrificial since season 1. Hi, my name is iridescent, and in this essay-

ok but in all seriousness, I have evidence from every season of him doing this, and I will be analyzing it and informing about it Meticulously.

I also have a couple of tangents about him protecting MK in here. I just like the detail of him always doing that, especially considering how he does it.

it wasn’t just season 5 where he was willing to sacrifice himself, season 5 was just the only season where it was outright blatantly stated that he was going to sacrifice himself.

(^Image taken from S1 EP9, Macaque)

this image in and of itself is fairly minor. Because we know he’s going to be okay. he is immortal, and compared to MK, an explosion most definitely will not do much, if anything, to him. and I’m sure he’s fully aware of this (which is probably part of the reason he shields MK with his body so much, there are SO many example of him doing this)

Still, even the fact his immediate instinct was to throw himself in harms way to protect MK is pretty sacrificial in and of itself. I’m 100% certain that even if it could hurt him, he would still protect MK like this.

(^ image taken from S2 EP10, this is the end)

Wukong here is visibly weakened and injured. It was stated early in season 3 that he was weak, and even at the end of season 2, we could tell. ESPECIALLY when he grabbed MK and escaped from LBD on his nimbus cloud. By the time they found their friends, it was deteriorating, and they quiet literally crash landed onto the ship.

But despite his obviously weakened state, he was still throwing himself in front of MK, protecting him from harm, and shielding him with his body. His first thought was to throw himself in harms way, and this time, there is a very real possibility that he probably can get injured! He’s weak, his powers are failing, there is no way he would have the energy to fight LBD. Not in the state he is in at this very moment, and MK isn’t, either. He knows this- I know he does, because instead of picking a fight, he grabs MK and runs. He even admits that he isn’t in any shape to face her. However, even though he knows he would hardly be able to put up a fight as it stands right now, he is still willing to throw himself in front of MK. (Which also directly supports what I said above! It does not matter if he can get hurt if not, he will still put himself in harms way to keep MK safe)

Similarly to above, he was fully willing to find and reforge the samadhi fire on his own, despite his weakened state- to keep the others out of harms way, because they are mortal and he is not. Still, even despite him being immortal, he’s trying to reforge the samadhi fire- one of the rare things that has the ability to actually hurt him. Wukong knows this, and he is still willing to do this alone. Even though he is obviously injured, and weakened, and there is a very real possibility the samadhi fire could kill him, he is willing to do this on his own. Because they are mortals- if the fire can kill him, then it can definitely kill them, too.

(^ Image taken from S3, EP1, on the run)

season 3 is, in my opinion, where his self-sacrificial tendencies and complete lack of self preservation becomes a lot more obvious. So, fair warning, season 3 is probably going to be a long one.

Wukong is fully willing to risk himself to get the map. And it isn’t like he doesn’t know the risks of forcing his way through the Barrie. Ne Zha even warns him, and says that if he forces his way through the barrier, they could both be destroyed. And honestly? If Wukong wasn’t, like, 7x immortal, there is a very real possibility that he would’ve been destroyed, then and there. And while, yeah, Ne Zha didn’t die, either, he also wasnt the one actively breaking through the barrier. I’m sure if Ne Zha was the one breaking through, he probably would’ve died. Even then, Wukong was severely weakened after this (as seen and talked about above!), he knew the risks and he still took them. He knew he could die, but if it meant saving the world and keeping MK and his friends safe? He would do it. And, again, even after being fully aware of his weakened state, he immediately ran to the protection of MK as soon as he realized he was in danger.

(^images taken from S3 EP10, The Samadhi Fire)

I’ve already talked about how often he is shown to use his body to protect MK from danger, but here, specifically, I want to mention be we are specifically shown a scene of him moving his arm to protect MK from danger. Especially considering the danger is the samadhi fire- something that can actually harm him. This is different from most other times he’s doing this, because this time, he can actually get hurt.

This is one of, in my opinion, one the most obvious examples of him being a self sacrificing idiot with very little self preservation (/aff)

his entire plan, from the very beginning, was to try and take the samadhi fire out of Mei (because he never wanted her to be harmed- he’s spent the entirety of season 2 and 3 trying to protect MK and his friends, he never one intentionally hurt them) and put it in himself. Think about that. The samadhi fire is something that can harm him- kill him, and he knows that. He knows that extremely well. His entire plan could lead to his death, and he’s aware of that. And the same thing goes for when he was getting the map in the first place- both times, he was fully aware that there is a possibility he could die from this. He doesn’t care, though. If it protects the people he cares about, he’s going to do it- even if he dies in the process.

once again, we are specifically shown a scene of him trying to protect MK. His immediate thought has always been to take the brunt of the fire, and keep MK from danger- I fully think, had there not been a shock factor to MK literally running straight in, he would have ran in after.

Again, in this scene he has no self preservation, and he is very self sacrificial. His entire plan from the very beginning hitched on having a weapon, something powerful enough to stop the lady bone demon, except that plan has failed, and now, there is no weapon. So his new solution? Stop LBD himself.

If he was truly confident he could beat her again, then why did he go looking for the samadhi fire, instead of going to immediately fight her and stop her? He’s desperate, he knows how bad the situation is, and he still isn’t sure if he can even beat her. He’s still willing to try, if it means protecting MK and his friends, and saving the world. He’s going into the fight. Alone. No backup, no plan, no samadhi fire. (And we know this goes wrong, too) He is fully aware of this! He knows he’s going into a fight he’s might not come out of. Everyone else knows this, too- Ne Zha even points out the chances of him surviving are slim.

(^ image taken from S4, EP1, familiar tales)

once again, his immediate reaction (even when being faced with his trauma) is to protect and save MK. He knows what the scroll is, and he knows what’s going to happen if he gets stuck inside of it- despite that, he still sacrifices himself to ensure MK doesn’t get stuck inside of the scroll. He lets himself get sucked into it. He is willing to face all of the mistakes he’s made and the trauma he’s endured to protect MK from having to go through the same.

WARNING YOU ALL AGAIN!!! S5 SPOILERS BEGIN NOW!!

Let’s all be honest here, they’re both lacking in the self preservation department. They are not lacking in the self sacrifice department, though, I’ll tell you that much! This entire fight, they are very blatant about how they are, quite literally, fighting over who gets to sacrifice themself. There isn’t much to say here that wouldn’t be stating the obvious- neither of them want eachother to sacrifice themselves, they both want to be the sacrifice.

TLDR: Sun Wukong has been self sacrificial and has had a disregard for his own preservation since we were introduced to him. This has only become more apparent as he grew closer to MK, and as his character has developed.

is all of this already very obvious? Mmmaybe???? I’m not too sure. Did I make a couple of reaches a couple of times? Mmmmmmmaaaaaybe. Is this an excuse to infodump and talk about sun wukong? Yeah. Am I sorry? No.

[imminent-danger-came]

As the resident "MK will hurt his family and almost destroy the world" truther, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring!

I think the main thing I want to preface this with is that "valuing family" does NOT equal "never hurting your family". A main point of s4, especially 4x11 "A Lifetime of Mistakes", is that Wukong wanted to "protect the people he cared about", but by taking those actions to get stronger, he hurt them. The very choices he made to protect his loved ones did the exact opposite. In this case, Wukong's "devotion" to his friends isn't wholly good.

It's the same with MK.

I think this is especially highlighted in episodes like 3x03 and 4x08. In "Smartie Kid", MK exchanges his friends for a chance at power (his gold vision), in order to "save his friends". It's backwards logic, but it's the one MK utilizes (and it's pretty much beat for beat Wukong pre-jttw—the Risk MK took was calculated, but man is he bad at math). In "The Brotherhood", MK can't "risk hurting the people [he] cares about, the ones [he] has left" (an obvious parallel to 3x10 "Can't you see you're hurting the people who care about you the most?"), and so he leaves. Through leaving, MK hurts his friends in the exact way Wukong hurts him in 3x10:

This is, dare I say, a character trait consistent from s2, where in trying to protect his friends, MK only hurts them by not revealing the truth about the Lady Bone Demon. MK just "needed to be ready", in the same way that Wukong always needed to be ready, to be strong enough for what ever came his way. Episodes like 2x06 and 2x07 that show MK's obsession with power, and his foil to Wukong, stress this consistent character flaw.

Now, let me list my version of MK's flaws:

Impulsivity (We Agree!)

Selfishness/Insensitivity (Giving away Mei's sword (3x03), Refusing to listen to anyone in favor of his own wants/beliefs (2x03), all of 2x06)

Shortsightedness (Kind of tied to "forgetfulness"; Failing to return the trigram furnace (RoTSQ), Never asking questions like what Wukong's plan for the Samadhi Fire was or what SWK new about his origins, "I try not to think to hard" (3x14))

Idealization (Kinda Blind Devotion, but Idealization is a coping mechanism that: "reduces anxiety by protecting the person from emotional conflicts that might emerge in a relationship. Rather than deal with the fear that the other person isn't perfect or that the relationship might not work out, idealization allows them to keep the fantasy of perfection intact." [---] *cough cough* MK and Wukong *cough cough*)

Self-hatred (Bestie thought his friends just abandoned him in 2x07. MK. He was legitimately BETTER in s2 idk how we got here)

And also his character motivations:

Friends/Family

Being dependable/living up to the version of the "Hero" in his head

Strength

Returning to Normalcy

Sometimes other people/the world when he remembers lol

When it comes to strength for MK, MK's whole motivation to become stronger is for his friends. "Strength" is a means to an end, that end being his family (or you know, being dependable and getting to return to his "normal" life as well). So, I wouldn't necessarily say that he ever puts becoming more powerful above his friends, it's just that it's a way for MK to express his love that is ultimately harmful.

Now, I have a whole SWK V MK tag, and I do sincerely believe that those two will eventually fight, but I also think that MK will eventually doom the world.

I don't feel the need to repeat myself too much, so let me quote my own "SWK V MK" meta of sorts:

MK's feelings of abandonment in s2 were never fully resolved. Of course Wukong finally makes his return in 2x10 and is able to explain himself, but "having a good reason" doesn't undo the hurt you caused. Wukong doesn't apologize for his actions until the end of 3x14, which is an apology MK doesn't actually accept ("I can always get another bowl of noodles" ; "Sometimes I just play dumb to lighten the mood"). I'm not here to argue whether or not MK should or should not have accepted Wukong's apology, or if Wukong has "done enough" to make up for his mistakes (I don't think that's productive), but I am here to point out how the characters themselves feel about the situation. MK, as it stands, completely refuses to even acknowledge or engage with the ways Wukong has hurt him. It's not like he wants to have a problem with Wukong, but because he hasn't let himself heal it's going to become an issue later (and monkey form is all about repression). This is a consistent habit with MK, where he's hurt by someone, then sweeping that emotion under the rug because whatever hurt him was "justified". In 3x10 Mei yells at Wukong on MK's behalf, but we don't actually get to see much of MK's feelings on the situation, which he definitely has: his beloved mentor put his best friend at risk of destroying the world because he couldn't communicate. [...] Throughout s4, MK is haunted by LBD's words that doing the right thing leads to pain—that no matter what action he takes, he's inevitably going to hurt his friends and make everything worse. The curse capitalizes on these fears, functioning as a way to make MK's internal thoughts/beliefs external ("I know about you than you'll even admit, to yourself, or to others." ; "I have been dying to hear us say it, out loud"). And you know what the curse says? How he digs his teeth into MK? "We're just like Wukong, a fraud! A trickster! Destructive! Why would our legacy be any different?"

Here I dip my toes into MK's idealization of Wukong, his "good guy bad guy" mentality, his "But Monkey King is a hero, he wouldn't just-" but he would, MK. He has. MK, deep down, is afraid of being like Wukong—but he also refuses to truly acknowledge those flaws, and represses his feelings.

Two of the things that gets to me the most about the s4 special are:

The fact MK is forced into Monkey Form because his loyalty to Wukong is called into question by Azure. ("After all Sun Wukong has put you through, after how much he's let you down, you would still meet your fate trying to protect him? He doesn't deserve such loyalty, yet you insist on learning the hard way just as I did!")

Sandy's 2x08 parallel to 4x13: "Cause at the end of the day, helping my friends is more important than anything else in the world!" -> "We get it! I'd do anything to help my friends—but at the cost of the world?"

Why include the Sandy parallel at ALL if it wasn't going to lead to a choice the main gang has to make, a choice where it's their friend at the cost of the world? (Which, I could go on and on about lmk's exchange theme, the trade-offs and trolley problems). Why have so many direct MK and Wukong parallels, if it didn't mean that MK wasn't going to hurt his family "just like Wukong"? Why have Monkey form involve MK's repression? Why call MK a "harbinger of chaos", if that wasn't a role we were going to delve into?

I often think about MK's s4 arc in relation to 1x01, which boils down to this:

"Anytime I try to do anything, I just gunk everything up! Somethings wrong." (Hurt his friends because he rushed into battle without a grasp on his powers) -> "No mater what I do, it's going to lead to pain. It's just like the Lady Bone Demon said—it doesn't matter if I want to help or not, everything I do it just- it just makes things worse!" (Hurt his friends because he rushed into battle and that just lead to more problems)

To me, LMK's main theme is all about the fact that the people you love will hurt you, and you will hurt the people you love, and you still stand by each other anyways—something that would be beautifully encapsulated by MK hurting everyone around him with his own power, and those people coming together to save him anyways.

I don't have a way to wrap this up, but ready for s5! *sandy voice* I have some theories!

I saw a post talking about how there’s a deep mischaracterization of Mk in the fandom specifically about his monkey form and I’m here to dissect it. (WIth doodles!)

Tldr: Will Mk end up hurting his family in season 5 due to his new Monkey form? Most likely no, but it is possible that he indirectly hurts them by not understanding the limits of his power.

First things first let’s collect a list of attributes that we know Mk has from past seasons. This will serve as a spine or checklist to see if certain actions are possible. A thing to keep in mind though is the ranking of each attribute as the writers of LMK wrote there are characters as complex and sometimes abandon certain character values if their center value is threatened. 

Mk’s character value list (in my opinion) is as follows: 

-Family 

-Strength 

-Freedom 

-Dependability 

with family and strength being so close to each other, so sometimes strength ends up as Mk’s main concern. Of course, all of these end up mixing at times and in the first seasons we see the mixing of these values gets him in trouble 

Desiring the freedom of choice over listening to Wukong (Pig Pong Panic). Wanting to be dependable but overestimating his strength (Duplication). Wanting to be strong but forgets his family in the process (shadow play). Eventually, he gets his priorities in check and has ended up sticking to this list for most of seasons 3 and 4. 

Now his flaws (in no particular order): 

Impulsivity 

Forgetfulness 

Stubbornness 

Blind devotion 

He’s overcome a lot of these when he was forced to learn them in season 3. His stubbornness to not tell anyone what was happening with the LBD got people hurt. His impulsivity with his actions ended up crashing the ship, and almost sold his family to a goldfish demon.

(Text: Mk's Fault, Good Intentions, Trying mentor)

So he’s had to come up with methods of working around that. Mk’s blind devotion to Wukong almost got Mei killed, and we see how he changes because of it. At the end of season 3, Mk doesn’t explicitly say that he sees Wukong in a new light but he heavily implies it with the metaphor of a bowl of noodles. 

So… Will Mk go crazy and end up hurting his friends? 

I highly doubt it. While I toyed with the idea, Mk is a lot smarter than the fandom usually gives him credit for. He knows Wukong is flawed, and he still trusts in him because he knows Wukong is trying. Mk has faith in Wukong’s strength and the fact that Wukong also heavily values family, even if his isolation makes it a lot harder for him to do so. Just rewatch the ending of season 3 where Wukong apologizes to Mk and watch as Mk comes to the realization that Wukong is trying so hard to make up for his past. (They also drive this point home in season 4 with how disappointed Wukong sounds at himself for not finding Mk in the scroll in the season finale.) 

(Text: He's flawed and trying, Has to accept harsh reality, Dissociating Coping mechanism)

So what about Mk’s impulsivity? I doubt that’d be something that directly harms his friends. He’s worked on his impulsivity by working with others (Redson in season 3 and Mei’s planning in season 4) to help fill in the gaps in his plans. In order for his impulsivity to harm others, you’d have to break that family value first or raise that value of strength and freedom. Most likely this flaw can manifest in Mk overdoing his Monkey form ™  and sending a shockwave that accidentally hurts the people around him.  Probably manifesting either in training or while having fun with Mei (think about how Mk was in the Bad Weather episode). 

Okay, what if Mk is tricked into it like he was in Season 4 (back to the flaw of blind devotion)? Mk has spent every season backstabbed by someone he trusted. We see him snap at Azure after he finds out that he was going to keep Wukong in the scroll. He snaps at Macaque in season 4. It’s safe to say that he’s learned, at least partially, to not trust others so blindly. Mk is also supposed to have gotten the “skill of self-reflection” in “Revenge of the Spider Queen” but his reflecting has mostly just impacted the other flaws. 

(Text: Side note, Monkey Mk doesn't have a nose)

But there is one possibility I toy with, bottled up emotions. Mk has extremely big emotions but hates showing any emotion that can be seen as negative. He loves being happy and he’s not afraid to show it, but as soon as those emotions turn to doubt, anger, or sadness he bottles them up fast. He knows he can rely on his family, but he’s stubborn and thinks that his emotions aren’t worth that hassle. Take the ending of season 3 where Mk states that “he tries not to think too hard” about his own place in the universe, which could be due to a fear of losing the value of freedom if he has a specific role to play in the universe.

(Text: Guys He's so avoidant, forced to think about his identity, 18-early 20's and Identity crisis)

It’s worsened by the fact that every. other. character. avoids. their. emotions. No other characters in this series are open about their emotions except Tang and Sandy. And from season 3 (and a bit of season 4) we know that Mk doesn’t view Tang in an extremely positive light.

Not exactly negative, but his admiration lies more on the rest of the team. Macaque points this out in season 2 stating in “Shadow Play” that Mk should talk out his insecurities, but no one else does that. 

That being said Mk isn’t entirely forgetful either. Macaque was a season 1 villain with his betrayal going through season 3. Mk’s high value of family, and flaw of blind devotion, make him want to give him a chance as Macaque’s past is connected with Wukong’s. HOWEVER, Mk is also stubborn and hasn’t forgiven Macaque’s actions. That’s why he snaps, plus the fact that Macaque is terrible at direct communication. Like I said before, Mk won’t directly hurt anyone he cares about, but if his monkey form is highly connected with his emotions (as most magic tends to be) having those bottled-up insecurities might accidentally cause Mk to unleash more power than he means to.

(Text: Normal, Fed up Meter, rage (on jar))

I have no idea where season 5 is going to go, but I’m so excited about the possibilities. 

(Text: Terrified of his actions hurting his family. UNSTABLE!!!)

[fluffypotatey]

We spent all of S4 talking about Wukong crying and us getting an eventual breakdown and now we got it literally the next season, how we feelin’? Also was anyone expecting Nuwa to be half snake lol. I didn’t think any of the lego set set was going to be real, it generally isn’t so, sorry to everyone’s chaotic adhd milf in a suit they were drawing…she is a bit silly tho if you squint.

swk: *crying his eyes out bc he believes he failed in keeping MK safe* me: *giggling and kicking my feet like an excited puppy*

NO BECAUSE LIKE LOOK AT HIM

THIS IS CANON NOW AND I AM LIVING FOR IT

it would have been even better if we just has a minute or two more of Wukong slamming himself into the pillar :) just for my own satisfaction

also no way is Wukong ever letting MK get away with that again :3 he doesn’t want MK throwing his life away like that because unlike Wukong, MK is not immortal (not yet 👀) which makes him more vulnerable to self sacrifices. and Wukong is not above throwing his own life in the fire if that means ensuring MK will never repeat it (see SWK’s plan for the rings of Samadhi)

i actually wasn’t surprised by Nuwa being part snake but i think that’s mostly bc i am recently familiar with their creation story (i like being prepared 💅) but yeah it’s a shame her dressed in a suit did not happen 😔 maybe next time

[quitealotofsodapop]

Sad Huggy Monkey Asks:

Had to compile some of these for convince sake since I can't add much commentary beyond the delicious analysis the anons have sent in! All the text is in the image description if you need help reading/translating;

Referencing.

Yeaah Wukong is going through something right now, and it sends shockwaves through the room.

The Monkie Kids seeing this legend break down crying at the idea of having a mother. Most have never seen Wukong cry. Not even sniffle.

Sandy is better at recognising this emotions than others, but is still stunned by how strongly the Monkey King feels about this part of him. It proves to them in a way; that Sun Wukong is a person, and not a character.

Mei feels a little bad for how she blew up at Wukong when she developed the Samadhi Fire. To see him actually cyring makes her sympathy weep. She couldn't imagine a world without her parents - but the monkey has lived that very nightmare for thousands of years.

The Stone Royals seeing this other version of their son just so hurt by the way his world treated him. Luzhen sees this older, stronger, superhero version of his big brother; and is horrified to realise that he's this way because he never had anyone in his corner to take the burden off of his shoulders.

The fact that Wukong flinches at the comfort of a parent is telling enough to what horrors he's faced and what he's missed.

MK is sympathy crying. He gets it man!! He thought he had no bio-family either!! He still dont cus he's a homunculus made of clay by Nuwa, but thats besides the point! Monkey King is crying!!

Macaque just feels... a stab in his heart. Not just from empathy, but because he too has struggled with the same feeling of existential abandonment and loneliness! He just internalised it deeper due to at least having Chang'e as a surrogate mother/big sister for the first few years of his life. He's fighting not to grab Wukong then and there and not let him go.

Either way, this monkey getting hugged.

Bonus: times in the new season where Wukong was group hugged + crying;

I love all this tasty angsty introspective. <3

[autism-autobot]

Flower of a Poisonous Seed Part 18

Part 17:

Sun Wukong had been rushed to the emergency room earlier that day by Nezha, and the Demon Bull Family were still anxiously awaiting their return.

The Demon Bull King was pacing around the living room, the inciting scenario replaying itself in his head, only causing him to worry more.

~~~

As part of Wukong's promise not to keep anything else from Nezha and his family, he took off his glamours to show them his true form.

His face was as blue as Azure Lion's.

Apparently, all of the tortures he endured because of heaven and his imprisonment beneath the mountain had left lasting scars. Many lasting scars.

The blueness of Wukong's face was due to leftover smoke and ash coating the inside of his lungs, causing him to not be able to breathe properly. Wukong being Wukong, this didn't kill him like it would have literally anyone else.

It took a bit of convincing, but DBK had managed to get his little brother to go to heaven with Nezha to see the doctor.

~~~

He could still hear his wife's gasp and his son's shriek replaying in his head.

Not the best reactions to Wukong's glamour reveal, but he wasn't much better, so he couldn't judge.

PIF: My love? Have you heard word from Nezha yet?

DBK: Not a sound. You, my dear?

PIF: Nothing. It concerns me greatly.

DBK: Myself as well.

PIF: Have you talked to our son at all? He seemed quite upset about the scar on your brother's face.

DBK: Scar?! What scar?!

PIF: Didn't you notice? There was a scar on Wukong's face that very clearly was the result of the Samadhi Fire.

DBK: No, I hadn't noticed. ... Our son must be deeply distraught by that.

PIF: I think so, too. We should speak with him.

DBK: We should.

~~~

Nezha: How much longer?

Receptionist: Again, I don't know how long the doctors will take with the monkey.

It was already bad enough that Nezha was not allowed in the room while the doctors did... something to Wukong, but now Nezha had been waiting five hours for any word about Wukong's condition.

Nezha knew Wukong must be scared out of his mind while there. Wukong quite literally needed to be peeled off his chest by multiple staff members in order to be put on the table. Then the nurses had the audacity to shoo Nezha out of the room while Wukong cried in fear.

Nezha didn't want to tell the Demon Bull Family what had happened. The gods knew what they would do if they received word of Wukong's terrified tantrum and nothing else.

~~~

Seven hours in and Nezha was asked to help settle Wukong down.

Wukong had somehow made it into a janitorial closet despite not having use of his legs and several nurses chasing him. Three nurses managed to corner him in there while the rest went to either get help or attend to other patients.

Nezha found Wukong still in the closet hiding beneath a large trash can.

Nurse 1: Okay, I lift the trash can while you two grab him.

Nurse 2: No way!

Nurse 3: Not happening! Do you know how dangerous monkey bites can be?

Nurse 1: I don't think he'll bite you.

Nurse 2: He's probably more scared of us than we are of him.

Nezha: He's definitely more scared of you than you are of him.

Nurse 3: Oh! Nezha! Hope you brought gloves it you came to help out!

Nezha: Gloves will not be necessary, I assure you.

Nezha: Wukong, it's okay, I'm here now. It's safe to come out.

Wukong: Nezhie? Nezhie stay?

Nezha: Yes, Wukong, I will stay with you. The doctors have granted me permission to stay with you.

Wukong scooted the trash can over to Nezha and stopped when he accidentally bumped into his fire wheels.

Nezha slowly lifted the trash can and Wukong immediately wrapped his whole body around Nezha's leg.

Nezha shushed Wukong to soothe him, transferred him to his chest, and skated slowly back to Wukong's assigned room.

~~~

Wukong's breathing tubes did next to nothing to help with the blueness in his face.

They were given word that Wukong would have to return for surgery after the lunar new year. That was the soonest the hospital could operate.

Wukong dreaded every word out of the doctor's mouth.

Nezha was careful not to shed tears while in Wukong's line of sight.

Wukong's vitals showed an oxygen saturation of 11% with the breathing tubes, 6% without.

But that wasn't all. His heart beat at a rate of 7 bpm. Far too low for a monkey of any species.

He'd have to have both his heart and lungs operating on.

How long had he been like this? Over a thousand years at the least.

Nezha wept for his friend.

Wukong just buried his face in Nezha's shirt.

Nezha cradled Wukong in his arms as they went back home.

~~~

Red Son cut his hand on a buzzsaw by accident. Usually, he was more careful than that.

He was making all sorts of mistakes in the workshop today. Dropping a steel ingot on his foot, catching his hair on a low hanging hook, and now the buzzsaw cut. He was trying to clear his mind, not give it something else to worry about.

His father's entrance only proceeded to stress him out more.

After a bit of back-and-forth between the two, DBK understood that the cut wasn't intentional but accidental.

Biggest relief he'd felt all day.

He treated his son's wounds all the same.

However, their minds were both elsewhere.

On DBK's youngest brother and Red Son's favorite uncle (not that that was a real competition given he's the only one that didn't nearly obliterate the universe).

RS: So... still no word about uncle?

DBK: *sighs* No, still no word.

RS: *sighs* I figured as much. Mother told me that heaven has a habit of taking their sweet time to get anything done.

DBK: It would appear that way, yes...

DBK: Now, about your reaction to my brother's scars.

RS: I DIDN'T MEAN TO MAKE THAT NOISE I SWEAR!!!!!

DBK: I know you meant no harm by it, as does everyone else. I am more concerned with what scars concerned you the most.

RS: Oh! Uncle's burn scars. *sighs* I know I am the cause of those scars, and I want to make it right by uncle! But-

DBK: You were a toddler at the time! A child with a lit match you didn't know how to contain!

RS: But that doesn't mean I didn't hurt him!

DBK: While this is true, I know my brother. He doesn't take anything personal. Especially not something done to him by a child.

RS: Honestly, you'd think he allows the whole world to walk all over him with how little he cares for what's been done to him.

DBK: True, but he loves you very much. Him excusing your past behavior isn't just out of understanding of your youthful naivety, but out of love as well.

DBK: Would you hold a child accountable for lighting something on fire with a lit match they were handed at birth?

RS: No! Of course not!

DBK: Then why don't you hold your past self to the same regards?

RS: I...

DBK: Ponder that awhile. And no more working in here today! You've clearly been too distracted to be safe with yourself.

RS: I will, father.

Part 19:

@starrclown @swkbiggestdefender @istopaskingmemate @ainnur @then-be-a-warrior

Masterpost

[imminent-danger-came]

Was anyone going to tell me that in 2x07 after Macaque says "In the darkness, the warrior was forgotten by the hero" it then immediately cuts to a picture of Mei:

Hero Mei is so real. Don't let anybody tell u otherwise

[byfulcrums]

No but Sun Wukong is so much... less alone(? now

He's been alone for centuries, with only the company of his monkeys. He hadn't left his mountain in 500 years; the first actual interaction he had with someone outside FFM was MK, and even then, it was just one person. He only met the rest of the gang at the start of season 2 and then he left

In season 3 he was literally stuck with MK, Mei, Pigsy, Tang and Sandy. He didn't have a choice; he was hurt, MK didn't have his powers and if he left then who knew what LBD could do to them? Besides, Macaque was looking for them. He couldn't leave (probably didn't really want to leave either)

Even though he had to interact with MK and the rest during season 3 because, well, they were literally living together, he was still hiding so much. No one knew about the fourth ring nor about what his initial plan was. He hadn't told MK about LBD when she first appeared and everyone was still upset at him for it (which, okay. Deserved. But also- angst)

In the scenes where the gang is having fun with each other, SWK tends to push himself away? He stays at the corner, a little too far away, showing that he doesn't consider himself part of the group. These MK's friends, not his, and even if he cares about them (and even if they're his family's reincarnations + descendant) he still distances himself from them. He keeps secrets, doesn't trust them the way MK does, refuses to tell them all about the Samadhi fire. Hell, they don't find out about his plan until it's already gone wrong!

At some point in pretty much every season, MK is hugged by his friends after some life threatening stuff happens. SWK (if he's present) smiles fondly and stays out of it. After he finds out about LBD and the gang are having a good time together, celebrating (and also being so excited to meet the Monkey King), he gifts them some hair food and leaves

Also, at the start of Revenge of the Spider Queen it's shown that he wants to either celebrate with MK or spend his day alone like he's been doing every year for centuries

In the final episode of season 2, MK's friends rush to his side and no one goes to check on Wukong, even though he looks pretty hurt. Heck, they're (rightfully) angry at him! It's only after they convince him to let them accompany him to the West that we see him patched up, and that's on the first episode of season 3 (also it's already nighttime when that happens)

When the gang hugs Pigsy in Cooking with Chang'e (I think that was the episode?) he smiles, looking happy for them, but he doesn't join them

I'm not saying that they don't care about SWK, because they really do! But he mostly keeps to himself, never tells them what's going on and left when MK needed him the most without explaining why. Besides, he's a legend. No one can know what's happening inside his mind. How can they trust him when they don't even know when he's being truthful?

In all of the scenes where they're all together in one place, SWK either stays closer to MK or leaves. There is no in between. Really shows how MK is pretty much his only friend lol

Also, all of his relationships went wrong. Macaque, Azure Lion, the rest of the brotherhood — all of them, thrown to the ground because of 'his' mistakes and 'his' bad deeds (not all of it was his fault, but there's no way he doesn't blame himself for that. He and MK are very similar). He (assumedly) killed Macaque and Azure Lion, Peng and Yellow Tusk were left in the scroll and he sealed DBK under a mountain. The friendships he did manage to keep are now gone not because of him fucking up, but because they're dead. MK is the first friend he's had in a long time and he is very afraid of messing that up too

When Mei gets the Samadhi fire (“Can't you see you're hurting the people who care about you the most?!” she said people, not person. She wasn't only talking about MK. They care about SWK too!), the first thing he does is leave again. He pushes everyone away, leaving MK and the others to take care of everything himself, and it fails. He fails, and MK is almost killed because of it. In the end, it was only because MK was accompanied by the people he cares about that he won. This makes Wukong see stuff differently

Post-season 3. SWK realizes that he doesn't have to be all alone. He notices how MK is doing so much better than him because he has friends (his support network or whatever that's called) and is like “Ohhhhhh okay. Yeah that makes sense. Alright-”

After the whole LBD fiasco, SWK is willing to trust other people more. He not only cares way too deeply now, but he also tries to share what's on his mind a little more! He's doing his best to show that he trusts them too and I think he's doing a pretty good job!

When Inky separates them, he says that he won't let some dumb curse keep him and his friends trapped. His friends. They're no longer only MK's buddies. They're not strangers he might've known once anymore; they're his friends. And some day they will be his family

The reason why they seem more like friends now is because of Sun Wukong himself. Sure, he might've needed some help, but he finally started to try to just. Stop pushing everyone away. This is why he's so much closer with the rest. It was all him

Also, I love this because it shows how you're the only one who can make the final decision that will change your life (dying or living, staying or leaving). You're more than allowed to ask for help and you can get it from anyone, but in the end, it's all you.

In the season 4 special, Sun Wukong shares his plan. He hadn't told MK about Azure Lion and the brotherhood before, sure, but that's because he thought that was over. In the scroll, when Macaque and MK go to find him, he opens up to MK. Shares his worries. Lets MK (and Macaque too I guess, with that smile. Ugh that SMILE) comfort him. And he, most importantly, fights alongside MK in the final battle. He gives the team the information they need for MK to come up with a plan. They fight together

And when the season 4 special ends, Yellow Tusk says something about true heroes (I can't remember the exact line) and the camera shows all of them, SWK included. The only one who is not there is MK, and even then it's clear that Yellow Tusk was talking about him bc the camera cuts to him sitting all alone at the edge of the cliff

SWK goes to sit with MK, but this time the rest of their friends are there. Sun Wukong, immortal or not, is a little less lonely now

[croissantk]

Another ask game request if you'll take it: mk and macaque? I'd like to hear your thoughts on them also :>

They're so crazy to me. Probably the relationship that changed the most throughout the course of the show (like seriously..s1e9 compared to them in s5e9 is insane) and for good reason! You could say mk changed the trajectory of macaque's life in a way u_u Smth I've always found interesting is mac's weird fondness for mk in s1-3 because like, at first his perception of this kid is so tied to wukong that he doesn't even see him as his own person, just as this kid who's close to swk/who's going to end up like swk, and there's also this mindset he has where everyone is some sort of 'victim' of swk so there's almost this kinda. Sympathy for mk?? But he also clearly just enjoys fucking with him?? Another big part about them i dont see acknowledged enough is how mk's words before going in the samadhi fire to reach mei ("mei is my best friend, I'd never abandon her when she needs me. We're heroes, it's what we do!") That shook macaque's worldview so greatly, to the point where he stops acting selfishly and throws out his self-preservation that he'd clung to practically his whole life just for mk's sake. Now in s4-5 they're so much more comfortable with eachother, macaque being mk's part-time mentor and all that.. I also find it amusing how mk gets sassy with macaque where he doesn't with anyone else (I think he did with tang in one episode) but yah just. They are so awesome. Even tho I miss when they were a little fucked up💔

[yurious-george]

LMK is pretty wishy-washy on whether the Monkie Kids are descendants or reincarnations of the JTTW pilgrims, often flip-flopping between the terms. The actual answer? It's a mix, but they haven't clarified. Here's a quick-and-dirty guide based on show canon:

Pigsy and Mei: Descendants. Mei's heritage as a direct descendant of Ao Lie is a central part of her character. Pigsy's link to Zhu Bajie isn't explicit, but Pigsy's family (recipes "passed down through generations") is a central part of Sweet N' Sour, and Zhu Bajie's status as a cook allows easy extrapolation. They may be reincarnations as well, accounting for their deja vu in The Samadhi Fire.

Tang: Reincarnation. Buddhist monks, famously, do not have sex. There is no mention of Tang's family but the Golden Cicada - heralding the unlocking of Tang's powers - appears in season 3, clarifying that Tang, like Sanzang, is the next reincarnation of Golden Cicada.

Sandy: Unknown. His family is never shown nor is there proof of reincarnation. He may even be the original Sha Wujing, owing to his flashback in To Catch a Leaf. It stands to reason that a river demon would live as long as the river does, but this doesn't explain the (inconsistent) difference in hair color, Wukong treating him like a stranger, or Mo.

MK: Neither. We can be reasonably confident SWK didn't hook up with anyone. Speaking of, SWK is still alive, so MK is not a reincarnation. Oddly, MK seems to be associated with the underworld (a sticker depicting him as the skull in a skull-and-crossbones in Pig Pong Panic, his eyes glowing blue in Minor Scale) and possibly born or even constructed out of a stone (The monkey statue & stone cracking in S4). Just what are you, MK...?

[amnesia-wukong-au]

After the Sealing of the Demon Bull King, Sun Wukong disappeared from the face of the Mortal Realm never to be seen again…at least according to Celestials…

The strangest part is…in the reincarnated Pilgrims group…why is there a mechanic monkey demon in their midst?

————————————

Rules

-No Homophobia

-No Toxicity

-No Anti LGBTQ

-No bullying Zammy or else I’ll disappear for a Month.

-Have fun!

————————————-

Arc 1: The pilots start off and we’re off to a rough and surprising start. A girl with the Six-Eared Macaque’s powers, a boy with Sun Wukong’s powers and a Monkey.

Arc 2: Duplicatnation! Oh my, it seems we have bit of a hassle with MK’s clones…and ooh what’s this?

Arc 3: So we got two episodes, The Great Wall Race and the start of the Macaque episode. Looks like things are getting a bit more intense.

Arc 4: The final episode of season 1 is here…and looks like we have a bit of a fusion of Season 2 3 and 4 upcoming

Arc 5: The Gang end up fleeing causing them to have a new mission until they’re chased into the Dragon of the East’s Sea’s Palace.

Arc 6: Quite a long arc, we got the whole rest of Season 3 but with a twist! Also Red Son gets the Samadhi Fire now.

Arc 7: The Lady Bone Demon is defeated, by the fighting is not over yet.

Arc 8: So…yeah Season 4 speedrun huh? Rin gets restored and we get a MOW rerun so have fun.

Arc 9: Bo is released but uhh…now we have a new problem

Arc 10: Yeah! The problem is defeated…now we got another one.

Arc 11: Shi Ku is here! And he’s here the cause mischief. Wukong is back!…kinda… Arc 12: Oh...wow, looks like a perfect world does have a price...

Arc 13: Calm before the storm…I suppose

Arc 14: Restoration