#xiwangmus

[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.

[darkfluffydragon]

THEORY: PEACH BLOSSOM COOKIE and Dark Cacao's relation to Journey to the West

Okay okay, so hear me out. Peach Blossom Cookie is based on the Chinese Goddess Xiwangmu.

I'll start by how I got to this conclusion. The entirety of the Dark Cacao storyline so far has had a lot of Journey to the West elements to it.

Stormbringer Cookie's legendary costume: Splitter of the Seas for example. Inside the video trailer advertising the costume, there is a scene showing the Heaven Splitter glowing underwater. This is a scene highly reminiscent of the Golden-banded staff Ruyi Jingu Bang, a treasure of Ao Guang, the dragon king of the Eastern Seas.  The staff would eventually come under the ownership of Sun Wukong, and upon finding its true master, the staff would flow. This can be seen happening in the image below.

Not only that, but Stormbringer's costume also has a dragon scale-like texture on it referencing Ao Guang, and she also wears a golden headband much like Sun Wukong.

Continuing on with this theme of Journey to the West, the mountain in the Beastraid parallels Wuxing Mountain, which is the mountain Buddha traps Sun Wukong underneath. The Mountain is also known as the Five Elements Mountain or the Five Finger Mountain, another piece of evidence pointing to the similarities between Journey to the West and Buddha since the Beastraid attacks mainly using hands.

With the connection to the mountain and Journey to the West secured, I can move on to Peach Blossom Cookie. The first hints of Peach Blossom Cookie's inspiration were the peach tree and the peach tree surrounding him. In Journey to the West, there is one type of peach that is heavily involved in the story, called the Peaches of Immortality.

In Chinese Taoist folklore, the Goddess Xiwangmu lived in her palace on the mythological Mount Kunlun, where she was said to have grown an orchard of peach trees that bore peaches every three thousand years. The peaches, once ripened, would bestow immortality and longevity on any human who ate them. The third type especially has a striking similarity to Dark Cacao and Mystic Flour's SoulJams. "The third variety is the most extraordinary. These Peaches of Immortality have purple streaks and their stones are a pale yellow. They ripen only every 9,000 years and whoever eats them lives eternally and enjoys a rank equal to that of the Sun and the Moon (which are actual living beings in Chinese mythology)."

In the story of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong was asked to guard the immortal peaches. Instead, he ate them all himself and continued to create chaos. As punishment, he was imprisoned for 500 years under the Five Finger Mountain. This helps connect the peach trees on the Beastraid mountain with the story. Peach Blossom's skill is also called "Heavenly Fruit", again suggesting the similarities.

Now to focus on the Goddess Xiwangmu herself. She was the one in charge of the Immortal Peaches and was known as the Queen Mother of the West. Coincidentally enough, The Flour Peak of Transcendence is also located at the bottom west of Beastyeast.

In multiple old artworks of the Goddess Xiwangmu, she is depicted to share a very close semblance to Peach Blossom Cookie. Such as the colouring, and even the hair bun, which has been replaced by a literal peach.

Another feature that suggests that Peach Blossom may be of divine nature is the floating ribbon he wears, which is called a Pibo, or Pei. These were most commonly worn by women and are often used in media to showcase that a character has a high amount of spiritual energy. Stormbringer, Mystic Flour, and one of the five characters shown playing Go (A Chinese strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to capture more territory than the opponent by fencing off empty space) all wear a pibo showcasing their powerful status.

(Also, since I'm talking about them, they are likely the Wufang Shangdi, the "Five Regions' Highest Deities" or "Highest Deities of the Five Regions". They can also be known as the "Five Colour Deities", as each is known for a specific colour representing them. The Bluegreen Deity, The Yellow Deity, The Black Deity, The Red Deity and The White Deity. Each has an animal form that is the dragon corresponding to their colour.)

The Goddess Xiwangmu was also the only deity in the Chinese Pantheon with the ability to talk directly to humans, using her peach tree as a link between Earth and Heaven. However, she did not speak to just any human.

She would speak exclusively to Chinese Emperors in order to give them the Mandate of Heaven and teach them the secrets of immortality. The Mandate of Heaven was considered the emperor’s divine right to rule. The first emperor to claim the Mandate of Heaven was Emperor Shun of Shanxi, and it is said that on the day he was crowned, five planets had aligned. Though in most of her interactions with the mortal kings, they would always fail her tests and remain mortal.

This can be seen within the newest Cookierun Trailer where Dark Cacao encounters Peach Blossom Cookie at the peach tree and he offers him a place to sate his hunger.

It should also be noted that Xiwangmu lives at Mount Kunlun, which is one of the longest mountain chains in Asia and extends more than 3,000 kilometres. Dark Cacao wonders about "How many steps" he has climbed and is shown to be exhausted, which suggests that he has walked a very long way.

Taking another close look at the scene, there are three birds settled around the small pond. The twelfth chapter of the famous Chinese text Shanhai Jing, or the "Classic of Mountain and Seas", describe Xiwangmu with three birds:

'She is the controller of the Grindstone and the Five Shards constellations of the heavens. Xiwangmu rests on a stool and wears an ornament on her head. She holds a staff. In the south, there are three birds from which Xiwangmu takes her nourishment. They are found to the north of the Kunlun mountains.'

However, Xiwangmu was also thought to have been a demonic figure who caused disease, floods, and other major disasters. The opinion of her began to change around the time of the Tang Dynasty, and following this shift, she was seen as a repentant, benevolent goddess. Whether or not Devsis will include this aspect of her in Peach Blossom Cookie is unclear, especially with the interactions between Cloud Haetae Cookie and the Pale Ailment.

(And here's an image of Emperor Shun, doesn't that hat look familiar?)

Dark Cacao's newly awakened title as the "Dragon Lord" is interesting too, as it ties back to Stormbringer and the origin of the Ruyi Jingu Bang (which parallels the Heaven Splitter which had been used to split the Black and White dragon into two. The two dragons are now apparently helping Dark Cacao.)

[theycallmeazalea]

Queen mother of the west, but something’s off..

I present you all my version of lmk Xi wangmu sketch. Despite in most depictions of her she seems more human, but I liked the fact she also has feline anatomy, so I gave her cat ears, and gave her some marks that makes her look more like a tigress. I used Nezha and Núwa for inspiration, gave her more “fluffy” hair like Nezha, and earrings like Nüwa. Also, the mark on her forehead isn’t face makeup, she was born with it. Like how a tiger is born with its markings.

And some doodles with her and Yudi (when they were younger):

I hope that Xwm and Yudi are very much in love with each other 😭

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[incorrectjttw]

Xiwangmu: *growls at them*

Jade Emperor: Such passion!

Heavenly Soldier: Uh??? She wants to rip your heart out, my Emperor.

Jade Emperor: She can have it

Jade Emperor: *dreamily* This goddess can have ALL the hearts!💕💕💕

[tsa-smth]

The one who supports women’s rights and women’s wrongs

[dorothygale123]

Since I've made a lot of mythology sh*tposts, I decided to make a masterlist for anyone who wants to skip around quickly.

The 5 Emperors

Red Son and the Red Emperor

Xing Tian, the headless giant

Red Emperor 2, the Reddening

Chiyou causes problems

Yellow Emperor makes a corpse drum (yes, really)

My fellow nerd and I have a lot to say about weeds

Dragons

The dragon princess and the dumbest in laws ever

The Dragon Kings who don't do anything

Ao Qin shows us why we shouldn't give in to peer pressure

Moving branches on the dragon family tree

China has a dragon problem

The Sun and Moon

The very similar stories of Hou Yi and Shen I

Erlang Shen killed the suns too

Why the 10 Suns were being jerks

The 12 Moons

Ancient Chinese Alice in Wonderland

More fun stuff about the 10 suns

Does Hou Yi have a backstory?

A dramatic retelling of the 10 suns myth

Earth and Sky

Eggs come up a lot, actually

Nuwa cleans up a big mess-

-But there was still more for Yu to clean later

Why is the sky all the way up there?

Sun Wukong

The 4 Spiritual Primates + 4 Elements

The Old Mother of Waters gets some bad takeout

Sun Wukong's first crime (they grow up so fast)

A more dramatic telling of how Monkey became Monkey King

The Underworld

The Chinese underworld is very judgy

But it also has a wholesome grandma who feeds you

Kuan Yin

Kuan Yin, Goddess of Mercy

Kuan Yin 2, Electric Boogaloo

Kuan Yin 3, This Time It's Personal

Rulers of the Cosmos

Xiwangmu, the Jade Emperor, and Nuwa

The Jade Emperor is someone's OC

Possible line of succession for the rulers of the cosmos

Was the Jade Emperor in charge for Wukong's entire life?

Shangdi and the void where his characterization used to be

How the Jade Emperor got his badass wife

Miscellaneous

Si-Men Bau is a genius

The very heterosexual fox and his 'drinking buddy'

This fox had one job and he decided to create footbinding instead

Seriously, what are the 8 trigrams?

Erlang Shen plays Sidekick while th 4 kings get their asses whooped

The 5 members of the 4 Guardian Beasts

The 5th Element isn't just an old movie

The cow can jump over the moon, but not the Milky Way

Cute figures I don't need got my research blood pumping

And I needed 2 posts to geek out appropriately

Dragon Ball Parallels

More info on some cool critters that happen to have adorable minis

Oops, is that Plato in my Chinese Mythology?

Bulma Briefs, Great Tang Monk

Tien Shinhan, Lord of Sichuan

Yamcha, River Spirit of the Desert and Puar the Dragon Horse

[yebreed]

Xiwangmu riding a Foo Dog

In this Ming Dynasty painting of the Queen Mother of the West (西王母), the Foo dog's face is priceless. Actually, the tiger should be implied here (or a lion), given the well-known mythological association of Xiwangmu with these felines. 

[violetjedisylveon]

The Samadhi Flower

Spicynoodles Tangled AU chapter 1

Summary: The Samadhi Flower is the last chance to save Queen Iron Fan's life, and her husband will do whatever he can to save her.

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: Near death experience, sickness, curses, child birth, c-section, forced pregnancy and LBD is really creepy at the end. Those last two go together.

A/N: You need context for this, here's the AU Masterpost it has the context. These first two-ish chapters are before the kidnapping btw.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

Once, long, long ago, the Queen of the Heavens descended to the mortal realm and planted a singular seed.

This small seed held a fraction of the Queen's power, an infinitesimal amount for a goddess to give up, but nearly unimaginable to the vast majority of mortal beings.

From that seed, the goddess’s gift to the world below, grew a magic fire flower. The Samadhi Flower 

It had the ability to heal the sick and injured, cure even the most devastating curses, chase away dark forces from the possessed, and even save one from the brink of death itself if used properly.

And it was powerful, just being near the flower’s influence would heal one of any ailments.

Though much like its creator, the flower had a darker side. Its creator was a goddess of destruction after all.

The Samadhi Flower created the most powerful flames ever seen in all the realms. Its heat scorched the land around it, turning it into an inhospitable barren waste that few would dare venture far into, the flower's healing powers could be felt from the edge of the burned lands.

The Queen had instructed the flower to protect itself from those who might use its power for their own selfish desires, so it harnessed the destructive powers to do as it was told.

To further protect the flower she had graciously gifted the world, the Queen decreed that only one of her divine blood could truly control the power of the flower, and that the flower could only be picked by one willing to risk the fury of the Queen of Heaven to save another they cared for more than themself.

When the Queen thought her gift was safe from greed and power hungry mortals, she left it to the mortal realm to be used as she intended.

And there it was.

The Samadhi Flower.

Sitting in the center of a burnt, barren land, the symbol of its power scorched into the ground it grew from.

The fabled gift from the Queen Mother Of The West herself.

The last chance he had to save the love of his life.

“Brother, are you sure about this? The legends say the Samadhi Flower will burn any who dare attempt to pick it.” His ears flicked in acknowledgement of his sworn brother’s warning.

DBK silenced the dragon prince with a glare. His other brother was not so easily silenced.

“We still have time to figure something else out, we don't need to resort to this.” The golden furred monkey said with a gesture towards the flower.

“No, if we delay any longer, Iron Fan will die.” He grunted.

“And if you try to pick that flower, you will die. Even if you somehow manage to get the stupid weed out of the ground, she could still die from the damned thing burning her, or from giving birth, and that leaves the kid an orphan!” The monkey king argued.

“If it comes to that, I trust you and Mihou will fulfill your duty as our child's godparents.” DBK said.

The monkey stared up at him with a fiery rage in his eyes.

“Then let me try, I'm a lot more-”

“No. The Samadhi Flower is very selective about who it will allow to pick it.” He cut his brother off.

“Besides, I doubt the Queen Mother would appreciate you picking her flower, Wukong.” He added in a late attempt to lighten the mood.

The monkey’s tail lashed around angrily and he clenched his fists in frustration. Instead of hitting him, Wukong merely stomped the ground, hard enough to leave an indent.

“I fuckin hate you.” He growled with crossed arms.

He nodded to his brothers and turned to the Samadhi Flower, glowing with an immortal fire. He approached the flower and before his brothers could interfere or try a last minute attempt to stop him, he thrust his hands into the ground and grabbed onto the flower’s roots.

The ground itself burned.

His thick fur caught fire and the heat blast filled his eyes with tears.

Squinting through his tears, he could see his mate's image in the dancing flames. She was alive and healthy. That was the only thing he wanted, being without her was worse than any pain this flower could dish out.

He dug his heels in and pulled.

For a split second, he thought he saw someone else in the fire, a woman with a harsh frown on her face stared at him with dark, hard eyes.

Then the woman gave him a subtle nod and he ripped the flower from the ground.

He fell back into his brothers’ waiting arms.

“Fucking hells, you got it. You actually got it you crazy bastard!” Wukong shouted gleefully, shaking his arm aggressively.

He hissed in pain and pulled away from his brother.

“Are you alright?” Ao Lie asked.

He shook his head and staggered to his feet.

“I will be.” He grunted.

“We must hurry this back to Iron Fan.” He said.

Wukong nodded and formed his cloud underneath their feet.

“Hold on tight boys, we're going home.”

XXX

DBK paced anxiously outside of the royal delivery room.

The birth had been going well so far. Iron Fan’s sickness, though now Wukong was starting to think it was some form of curse designed to imitate illness which explained why none of the previous treatments had worked. Whatever it was, the Samadhi Flower had cured her of it.

They got back just in time too, Mihou had told them that Iron Fan would have died if they were even a day later.

DBK had been right, they really had been out of time.

Ao Lie came in with another tray of tea, from the smell of it he made all their personal favorites.

Out of the three of them, DBK had the experience with birth and the process it entailed. Ao Lie had been present and assisted in the births of many other dragons, family members or otherwise, he helped his own mate birth their daughter years ago. He had never seen someone so calm at their own mate’s labor.

And Wukong himself had served as a midwife more times than he could count for his people, though he trusted his mate more than he trusted himself to handle a more difficult birth. Mihou was Iron Fan’s sworn brother too so she probably felt more comfortable with him tending to her.

He took the tea Ao Lie offered and forced himself to relax externally. He had been through this enough times to know that the only thing he could do right now was keep his cool, help his brother stay calm, and wait for the results.

XXX

Liu'er Mihou shouldn't be scared, he had helped deliver countless babies before and performed many cesarean sections in his lifetime. He was no stranger to the struggles of birth.

So why was he stressing so much over this one?

Iron Fan was his sister, but he had helped many close to him give birth before.

It could be added stress from her near death experience only than a week ago, or it could be his aid.

He glanced up as Ivory entered the main room with a bin of cool water for his sister.

The ice demon always set him off for reasons he could never explain, but he knew to trust his instincts and not trust her.

He usually tried to keep the lesser advisor away from his sister, except for when absolutely necessary and right now, she was the only ice demon in the palace. He needed her powers.

Iron Fan was burning up and Ivory's ice magic worked wonders at keeping the Queen cool. That didn't mean he would trust the bone white demon.

He signaled the doctor with his tail, they quickly came to his side.

“I don't think I can turn the baby, I'm starting to think I'll have to go for a cesarean.” He told them.

They frowned and felt around for themself.

“That baby is pretty stuck in there. You'll probably have to.” They agreed.

“I was really hoping I wouldn't.” He sighed.

Cesareans were tricky, vertical or horizontal, though in his experience a horizontal was much easier, but he didn't have the time for that one. He had to get the baby out soon.

“Can you get everything ready? I'm going to tell her.” He requested quietly.

The doctor nodded and set about preparing the birthing room for surgery.

“Ivory, go tell Wukong that the Queen needs a cesarean.” He ordered.

The ice demon nodded and bowed then swiftly left the room.

Mihou went to his sister's side and tapped her arm gently. She opened her now burnt magenta eyes and frowned.

“There's trouble.” She guessed.

“Yes, the baby is stuck, the best thing to do is a cesarean.” He said.

She closed her eyes and leaned her head back with a soft groan.

“Are you okay with that?” He asked.

“You're the expert here. Do what you think is-” she broke off with a shout as a particularly strong contraction hit her.

“I'll get started.” He told her.

Everything was prepared for the surgery, he ordered Ivory to fetch a healer and prepare a bath for the baby.

He took a deep breath and made the first incision.

XXX

Mihou gently washed the newborn in a warm bath as Lihua got the incision healing. The young demon was pretty good at giving injuries a healing kickstart. He was very glad when Ivory had returned with her.

Iron Fan was resting, he had given her a few heavy pain killers so she wouldn't feel her skin being knit back together. Sometimes healing injuries like that felt worse than receiving them.

She would recover quickly, she had always healed fast, it was why she lasted so long against the sickness-curse that nearly took her life, and she could be back to her normal life soon. With her son of course.

The newborn was a little boy, he had floppy little bull ears, little spots where horns would eventually grow and a cute little tail that looked like a paint brush. And he had a lot of hair already.

It was bright red and silky soft.

He was already so excited to introduce his sister to her little boy.

XXX

DBK sat up as soon as the door opened, Mihou gave him a tired, happy smile.

“Would you like to meet your son?” He asked.

He practically tore the doors off the hinges in his rush to get in the room.

The love of his life was resting in the delivery bed, or she had been until he disturbed her.

His queen shot him a fiery, tired glare before a soft smile graced her lips.

“Darling, it's so wonderful to see you well.” He said, kneeling at her bedside.

“It's wonderful to be well.” She said, cupping his cheek with her free hand.

Her fingers twirled around the burnt and permanently damaged fur.

She leaned closer to him and he wrapped his arms around her. They sat together for a quiet moment of peace before Iron Fan spoke again.

“Do you want to hold him?” She asked.

He nodded eagerly and she gently placed their little boy in his hands.

He fit perfectly in his palms.

“He's so tiny.” He almost squealed.

Iron Fan laughed softly and leaned on his shoulder, reaching over to run her fingers through their son's fluffy red hair. 

“Perfect, isn't he?” she mused.

“Yes, our precious Red Son.” he said, nuzzling her forehead gently.

He overheard his brothers trying to leave quietly.

“I want one.”

“Me too.”

“Can we get one?”

“Not now…”

Their voices faded as the pair of monkeys shut the door softly behind them.

DBK shifted into a more comfortable position and held his wife and son as they both succumbed to the exhaustion of the last day.

This, holding his family close to him, was a gift, it was a blessing they were even alive at all.

Their survival was in a way a gift from Iron Fan’s estranged mother.

Their child bore the mark of her gift to the realm on his back.

DBK swore he saw the goddess in the flames of the flower when he picked it. Even if their relationship wasn't the best, she didn't want her daughter and grandchild to die.

Even if she never did anything else for them or even acknowledged her grandson, he would be forever grateful for her gift to him.

His wife and son.

XXX

LBD slipped quietly into the humble house she had built deep into the woods. Far east from the capital city of the Ironbull Empire.

It was far from her preferred home, but if all went well, she would be returning there soon enough.

Regardless of her preferences, this spot was carefully chosen; it was far enough from most settlements that her residence was completely unknown, yet in an area known for having some isolated hermits living in it.

Her activities could go unnoticed yet if she was seen no one would think anything of it. The cost of making a portal to go back and forth between the capital was worth it.

This was the perfect place to plan and continue her experiments.

Her thrall opened the door for her.

“Welcome back my lady.” He said enthusiastically as he always did.

“How was your time away?” He asked.

She didn't respond, instead she went to the hidden staircase and descended into her dungeon to check on her little project’s process.

“You've been caring for my project while I was away?” She asked as she descended the stairs.

“Of course my lady.”

“Good. My visit to the capital has proved quite informative.” She told him.

“Oh?”

“The Samadhi Flower has been used to save Queen Iron Fan, her son now holds its power within him.” She said.

“The grandson of Xiwangmu.” he chuckled.

Oh yes, Xiwangmu’s attempt to prevent “mortals” from truly having control of her power was based on the fact she never thought one of her own would settle in the realm. Quite a humorous twist of fate really.

She stepped off the last step and approached the shadowy figure sitting in a cell of bone and ice.

The monkey growled softly at her approach. Clearly they were still doing just fine. Their process was coming along quite nicely. Her thrall didn't have any new injuries, so her little project had been very well behaved while she was gone.

That was deserving of a reward.

“What is to be done with the young prince?” Her thrall questioned as she prepared a nice treat for her well behaved monkey demon.

“Do you still plan to take him as your own?” He asked gleefully, knowing exactly how to get the monkey's undivided attention.

“Well, if all goes well, I won't have to resort to that quite yet.” She said with a glance over her shoulder at her experiment.

The monkey bared their fangs and their tail twitched in agitation, but otherwise they made no protest. How could they?

The icy blue chains blocked their magic and forced them to remain in this bitterly cold hell.

Laohu silently watched the witch come around with a tray of fruit. A reward for their perceived good behavior. They would have bitten the thrall if they hadn't felt so sick in the time the witch was gone.

The witch gave them a cold smile and oh so graciously offered them the tray. Laohu knew better than to refuse the witch's “charity” and accepted the “reward”.

They were to busy checking it for possible danger that they didn't notice the witch sneak closer to them until her long, boney fingers started working out the knots in their extra fluffy fur.

Laohu froze, they always did. The witch hummed to herself, uncaring of their discomfort.

Begrudgingly, they allowed the witch to groom their fur. It was necessary to deal with their now thick fur, and they couldn't do it themself anymore, but Laohu hated every moment of it.

The witch took something shared between family, between mates, and twisted it into something rotten.

It made their skin crawl and their stomach churn.

Qiuyue, their mate, should be the one going through their fur, not this witch.

Laohu suffered through the involuntary grooming session, not giving much of a response to the witch's comments about how they should take better care of themself for the child's sake, as if the witch would actually care about them, and finally relaxed enough to be able to eat once the witch and her thrall returned to their dwellings above.

They glared at the stone ceiling above them, then sighed and buried themself in the small nest they had made. The witch was cruel, but she provided them with the necessities to successfully produce what she wanted.

It was better than sleeping on the cold floor, but at the same time they didn't want to accept anything from the witch.

They curled up and wrapped their tail around their baby bump, around the little one who the witch would do gods know what to regardless of the outcome.

Laohu rested a hand on their bump and silently promised their child that they would find some way to get out of this, to keep their little lily safe from their “mother” and get back to their mate and cub.

[ryin-silverfish]

Is it true that Xiwangmu is the one who defends forbidden romances the most?

...I haven't checked enough sources to make a count. However, in the popular version of the Cowherd & Weaver Girl legend, she was often the one who kept them apart by using her hairpin to draw a line that turned into the Milky Way.

[mpryul]

for @queenmothermp , a one sulky grumpy demigod

it was yet another day of sheer, complete avoidance that ryul had managed to pass through without having a particular someone from the phoenix rises hound him over not turning up for work.

sure, he was being unprofessional as hell for doing what he did, but it was times like these that ryul treasured his mental and emotional feelings a little more so than the so called professionalism that he knew he should have done.

he wasn't feeling good about being around everyone else in phoenix rises, and with his temperament and...issues, it definitely wasn't a great combination.

avoidance--was not just for his sake, but others as well.

especially since he was such a grouch to be around.

the demigod narrowed his eyes sharply, feet scuffing against the wet, muddy ground as he sucked in a deep breath of the fresh morning air, hovering right next to a musty old well that made his nose wrinkle from its stale water stench.

didn't anyone clean these things up?

ryul peered down into the well, trying to make sense of how deep it was with all the moss, creeping vines and the barest hint of a water's reflection deep down below.

"oh fuck." a strong whiff of dung and stale water hit his nose as soon as he leaned a little too far over the well, the urge to vomit quelled quickly with another sharp gasp of the fresh morning air to clear his nose and lungs. "holy fuck. whoever was looking after this well really decided au natural was the best way to go, huh?"

[taomubiji]

The Banquet of Seowangmo (Xiwangmu), Queen Mother of the West (18th-19th Century)

The painting depicts the Queen Mother of the West's Banquet. The Queen Mother would invite immortals to her banquet to eat ripened peaches of immortality. According to legends, King Mu of the Zhou dynasty went to visit her in his quest for immortality.

[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.

[urlasage]

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H· Βασίλισσα ·Μητέρα 

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protected by 

tigers and

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                                        · symbol of her is ursula major ·

[theycallmeazalea]

It’s summer, I hope we get lmk season 5 sooner..

Anyways here’s some drawings:

Ofc, these are just concept art of XWM and young Yudi. I’m still having trouble in deciding XWM’S colors cheme.. With Yudi however, it’s kinda easy, since he already has a canon design in lmk.

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Doodles:

I’m slowly getting into Metal cardbot- the show feels like if Pokémon and Transformers had a lovechild… And I love it, really love Blue cop he reminds me of a cat.

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[incorrectjttw]

Jade Emperor: You have to apologize to them Xiwangmu .

Xiwangmu: Fine! But I must warn you that this might make me a better, nicer person and that is NOT the goddess you fell in love with!

And they were both arseholes.

[dorothygale123]

Let's talk rulers of the cosmos, shall we?

There's at least one in every religion, but really old mythologies like Chinese and Egyptian have the head honcho change a few times over the millenia depending on whose popular.

The ones I've found for Chinese mythology are Shangdi, the Jade Emperor, the Yellow Emperor, and Di Jun. You could also count Xiwangmu and Dongwanggong since they ruled the west and east respectively, but some people might not count them since they technically shared power. What I want to do today is put these gods in a rough chronological order as to when they could have been in charge to give a line of succession to the throne of Heaven.

Let's start with Shangdi, the oldest deity here who gained his popularity in the Shang dynasty from 1600-1000 BC. He's called the supreme diety, but came up before the Daoists established the Heavenly Beauracracy so he was never officially king of the gods.

Next is the Queen Mother of the West and her lesser known husband the King Father of the East. As I've stated in previous posts, more modern sources will portray Xiwangmu as the consort to the Jade Emperor, so Dongwanggong gets shoved to the side a lot. A modern writer could interpret this as the two of them getting a divorce, freeing Xiwangmu up for a second marriage. Perhaps their split is what lead to the end of their reign as rulers of the universe?

Third is the Yellow Emperor, largely because he's credited as the first sole emperor of all China, so it makes sense to slot him in here after Shangdi, who had a less official role, and the couple who shared power equally.

After him I'm gonna put Di Jun, who some might remember as the father of the 10 suns from yesterday's post. The fact that he was the head god is probably why later myths gave his role as their dad to the Jade Emperor in later myths when the latter god was more popular. However, he isn't the first emperor but should definitely come before our jaded boy, so we're putting him here.

Finally we have jolly green himself, the Jade Emperor who, and I cannot stress this enough, was literally made up in 1005 AD to cover up an unpopular military decision. He presumably then married Xiwangmu and continued ruling the cosmos indefinitely.

Let's reiterate that this is not meant to be taken as fact, it's just me taking different pieces of mythology and making my own timeline with it in a way I think is cool and makes sense. If anyone disagrees, feel free to tell me how you'd structure your list and why.

Now, for my LMK people, as of the end of season 4 the Jade Emperor's throne is empty and waiting for someone to fill it. Who will it be? Who could possibly replace him? Well, my hope is that we get who I'm going to call the Lotus Emperor, Nezha. Strict and dutiful, but willing to bend when necessary and always trying to do the best he can. Not to mention he's also the Jade Emperor's grandson. It remains to be seen if it'll happen in the show, but that doesn't stop us from making fan content about it!

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