#yellowtusk

[ninjahaku21art]

I wanted to draw Azure in a santa outfit since last year…but now, I finally was able to!! xD

Plus I also wanted to add in the others reactions! Why isn't DBK there? Because I forgot him after I finished, so let's just say he's with his beautiful wife! XD enjoy!

[ningadudexx]

laugh it off ⭐️

other comic below

i drew this while tired so the linearts a bit wobbly at times

[itsabouttimex2]

So, for the Eclipse Kings,

I feel that it is going to be very interesting when the kings go from seeing you(the reader) as a hanger on to their son, to their other child. I don't know how you plan to go about it, but this is an idea I had:

So, you're stuck here, for now at least. MK doesn't want to let you go, and the kings feel indebted to you enough to make sure you don't, like, starve. It could be worse, but you don't really want to stay.

And good news! You probably won't have to. You're not their kid. They don't care about you, beyond a sense of obligation, really. And while MK is basically your brother, siblings don't always live right next to each other. You can leave and promise to come back or something. Macaque, at least, will probably be glad to get your pathetic, scarred, human self out of his pristine home.

It'll be fine. You can work with this.

You can work with the mat on the floor, still more comfortable than your old hut, and the clothes not quite made for you, but still better than anything you had, and the room that isn't yours, but it isn't cold, either. You'll probably leave in the spring, after this winter.

And then, something changes. Because things are starting to properly fit you, the only human in this palace, now.

You have a bed, now, and a room to go with it(although you and MK still tend to sleep closer together than not).

And you don't tend to hallucinate, but you must have, just now. Or else Macaque just introduced you and MK as his "kids".

And you can't be their kid, and be free. They just got MK back, after assuming he was dead. You've seen how closely they watch him. He'll probably never leave, or at least not anytime soon, and never for long.

Maybe you're misunderstanding things, you think. After all, they're not heartless. Wukong has always been prone to getting in other's personal space, surely him picking you up to show you something he thought you would like is a normal extension of that.

And even if they did care, you're human. That's got to be an issue, right? No one would accept a human as part of Flower Fruit Mountain's royal family. Also, you won't live half as long as them. Why would they get attached?

However, when someone is even half as powerful as these kings, it turns out that these are solvable problems, really.

And they have never been good about losing what's theirs. Especially not now that they decided they have more to lose.

(Sorry if this doesn't fit with what you're planning. I just had lots of thoughts.)

Eclipse Kings

Growing Accustomed

(Anon, this is exactly it. It’s little things. And I love how you write BTW?? It’s so good!)

The starting disparity is undeniable, even though it’s not malicious and sometimes necessary, and honestly even understandable.

MK gets steak with broth and rice. You get porridge and diced fruit. Fair- he’s got a stronger stomach than you, because you always made sure that he ate better, ate cleaner, ate more. Your stomach isn’t adjusted to anything above the literal bare minimum. He can process meat without losing his guts, you can’t.

So it’s actually the furthest thing from unfair, given that it’s custom catered to your needs. Hell, they even mix in honey to make it more palatable.

But only because they owe you.

So it’s nothing more than repaying a debt when they ensure that the maidservants have a full list of food appropriate to serve you, each meal shared on MK’s insistence- it’s nothing.

Not yet.

Your mat is nothing special to them, and at first they doubt that you’ll sleep well- then the kings see how deeply you rest, how hard it is to rouse you. It’s perfectly cozy, not to them, but to you. MK tells them you slept on the ground before, left the little bedding available to him. You slept cold and hungry, but he was warm and fed, draped in whatever you could scrounge up.

So they plan to make things a little cozier, maybe only to see how you’ll react, maybe only because MK refuses to use his own bed and instead sleeps on your chest, maybe only because every minute spent with or around you is another reminder that they owe you their son’s life a hundred times and several years over.

Which has Macaque wonder if you can’t be a little cozier, because maybe he owes you some comfort after the hell you endured to provide for his son.

He calls you to the washroom one day and gives you a few of his nicer supplies, a soothing cream for wounds in one jar, a lovely citrus perfume in another. Things he has because Wukong convinced him to love himself enough to indulge in luxuries, now shared with some little mortal that didn’t know such things existed before now.

You have scars, the same as him. Macaque pointlessly “punished” himself for the death of a son still-living, hungry and cold and dirty. You earned yours the hard way, by living as best you could to take care of MK.

You have the scars for the same reason, but yours are a thousand times more earned, less piteous, and far, far worse.

So he teaches you how to take care of them, stretches to work through when they start to ache, what to eat to loosen tension in the body, so on and so forth.

But only because he owes you. Nothing more.

Not yet.

(But you use that perfume each day, and the monkey certainly doesn’t miss how you brighten at the little taste of luxury.)

And MK- “Qi Xiaotian”, they say, trying hard to drill that lovely (it really is lovely, but you don’t think it fits him) name into your mouth, but it tastes bitter and wrong. He’s only ever been your little “Monkie Kid”, even before his years-long illusion (glamour, some call it) wore off.

MK, with all his love for you, anchors you in place.

Fine. That’s fine.

You can justify it. Reason your way through staying, never realizing that you’re adjusting.

You can’t leave because it’s too cold. Because you’re too hurt. Because there’s no easy way to find food. Because, a dozen times over, and the truth is that the only thing keeping you here is the prince.

“Qi Xiaotian”, alight with gleeful laughter, who refuses to sleep unless you’re within arm’s reach, who insists you share every new toy or treat the kings bring him. “You’re my big sibling,” he says, voice bright with conviction. “Why wouldn’t I share?”

It’s easy to let that logic soothe you. After all, MK’s the real reason you’re here. Without him, the kings wouldn’t even know you existed.

So you settle in a little more.

It’s not like you get used to all this, after all.

And then Sun Wukong grows a little more doting. Now your food is somewhat like theirs, tender cuts of meat served beside your porridge to help the adjustment back to solid and hearty food. Fruit juice in place of water. Bread with jam. Only a little bit of each, but your plate is more appealing, and you enjoy those meals a little more each day with all the new things you get to try.

He even grows playful once or twice, clinking his gilded goblet against your glass, pretending to toast with you.

You smile. It’s not the sort of fun orphans like you often get to have.

(He’s starting to cherish your smile. How cute! How sweet! No wonder you cheer his little Xiaotian up!)

You get tucked in sometimes, when you fall asleep and sprawl over MK, who cuddles into your chest like he always has- this means subjecting yourself to nightly check-ups from the kings, but they come with glasses of water and fluffy blankets, so who cares?

They tuck you both in, mostly because any form of separation would be impossible.

And maybe because it’s just cute to see their kids sleeping happily and; more importantly, safely.

Then Macaque wants to change your wardrobe. He calls you in one day, right back to the washroom from before.

Has it been months already?

Weren’t you supposed to leave when spring came blooming through?

He drapes a new hanfu over your shoulders- the last one was shabbier, duller. It was a non-distinct blue and dull white, but this one is black with gold embroidery. He ties a silk sash around your waist and then pulls a fur-lined cape over your shoulders.

It’s warm. It has to be warm, because there’s a cold chill coming in and you’ll “need” to be comfortable through it. There’s no explanation given as to why it matters to him, so you just assume that the king is being a good host.

After all, it’s not like he cares about you.

…right?

It can’t be.

But he goes a step further and tends to your hair with a vast array of implements and products, trimming the uneven edges and setting it with many different creams for restoration. And then applies a few balms for your lips, your nose…

So eventually you’ve whiled the whole day away being doted on and in some manner “soothed”, feeling genuinely and honestly good, and even-

Pretty.

You’ve never felt pretty before.

His hand, harsh as it was days prior, gently swipes the tears gathering in your eyes, then pats your head.

(And he starts wondering if maybe having an older child wouldn’t be so bad.)

And maybe when Wukong is talking to Azure and Yellowtusk about some new invention they’re brainstorming to improve the lives of mortals, some form of metal that always twists to point north, keeping them from losing their way in untamed wildernesses and winding paths. The science of it goes over his head, but he nods along anyways- anything for his Brotherhood.

And you come along to tell him something maybe that trends to “unimportant”, given that you just tug his sleeve with a mild expression, content to wait- and Wukong, really without thinking, scoops you up and sits you on his hip, motioning out a little bounce here and there.

It should be embarrassing (and it is, a little), but… he’s warm, you’re waiting for his attention anyways, and it’s not like either of the demons he’s speaking to mind, so… you just don’t argue.

But even when they leave he doesn’t put you down, and instead cradles you again, like he did the first night you both met, like a father holds his newborn baby, one arm supporting your back and legs, the other your neck. He asks what you need, and smiles when you tell him.

And even when he goes off to do whatever it is that you needed, well… Sun Wukong still does not put you down.

But maybe he just wasn’t thinking on it.

(If you were a frog, the water would be nearing a boil.)

And then there are parental threats, little idle “warnings” that they don’t seem intent on following through with.

Threats that your mouth with be scrubbed with soap, or that you’ll be sent to the corner, or taken over a knee, or some other generic punishment that a parent wouldn’t think twice about administering… but surely they aren’t being serious.

Surely.

After all, those are things parents do to their children, and you are not their child.

So you accept it as “teasing”.

The suggestions that the kings might see fit to correct your behavior slowly become reality- mostly in the form of lectures or lightly tugged ears. They do not remove privileges, given that you take and do so little- would they take your food or bedding, and make you fear a return to your squalid lifestyle?

Instead they just… talk. Talk about how you’ve disappointed them, how they’re sad, upset. How you’ve “let them down”, but there’s still second chances because they know you can “do better”.

You’re teasing MK, something harmless but just sharp enough to make him pout and snap back at you. The kings are in the room, half-paying attention, but you can feel their presence like a storm cloud hanging over your head.

Wukong’s tail lashes once, twice, and then he’s there, tugging lightly at your ear.

“Hey,” he says, his voice mock-stern but with an edge that makes you freeze. “Be nice. That’s your brother.”

Before you can be scared, Wukong lets go, ruffling your hair like he’s brushing away the moment itself, and you’re left standing there, your heart racing for reasons you don’t fully understand.

And you finally can’t find a way to justify it- because they have finally dropped the act and stopped pretending that you aren’t family.

You can’t leave, because they’ve decided you belong here.

Not because they owe you. Not because of MK.

Because you’re theirs.

[starsfic]

Lionpeach prompt: After Azure becomes the Jade emperor he makes a deal with wukong that if he marries him his friends will be safe

Sun Wukong had no idea how long he had been in the scroll.

It could've been minutes or years. Time was easily lost when you had to traverse a landscape made of your worst memories, from receiving his shifu's harsh words of banishment to feeling the fillet tighten around his head for the first time to hearing Long Xiaojiao scream at him as the Samadhi fire wrapped around her. He had fucked up in his long life, and the scroll made sure he remembered it all, even the smallest thing that slipped his self-hatred.

At least Xiaotian and the others had escaped. If they were out, there was hope.

He sighed, standing up from the ledge he sat on. He had needed a quick rest, although it was tempting to just sit there. He couldn't. He needed to figure a way out.

Before Wukong could begin to move, the world began to glow a familiar azure blue. He tensed up, taking a step back. Before he could run, the blue swallowed him up...

And he came to.

It was dark, although it took him a second to realize that he was scrunching his eyes closed. "Wukong?" a familiar voice said. He scrunched his eyes up even more. Once, that voice had made him feel warm and confident, sure of himself and his friends.

Then he had tried to kill him.

A familiar paw smoothed gently down his face. "Should he be like this?" Azure's voice said, probably asking Yellowtusk. "He should be alright now, right? We fixed the damage to the tile."

Oh. That explained why things got screwy at the end.

"I think he's just pretending so we'll leave him alone."

Dang it.

Wukong opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was a giant multi-colored crack that began to close, ruining the lovely bedroom that had to be in the Celestial Realm. The second thing was Azure, practically crackling at the seams with the Jade Emperor's power, sitting next to him.

"Azure..." he whispered, not sure whether to be angry at him or afraid for him. "You're killing yourself."

Azure didn't respond beyond a simple quirk of his brow. "Leave us," he said to Yellowtusk. "I want privacy for this moment." Wukong felt his own brow raise as the elephant demon slipped out surprisingly quiet, closing the door behind him.

There was a heartbeat of silence.

Then Azure's paw gently turned his face towards his. "Wukong," he sighed.

"Azure."

"...I was so worried about you," the lion sighed. "I was hasty and acted foolishly. My cruelty towards Qi Xiaotian was uncalled for," Wukong tensed the moment his successor's name left the lion's mouth. "But I hope I can make it up to him with this."

"With what?" Wukong scoffed. Azure had a tendency to act before he thought, not really taking in many people's opinions. It was one of the things that made Macaque feel uneasy.

The next words are enough to justify Macaque's unease.

"Marry me."

"...Excuse me?"

"I can protect Xiaotian and his friends if the world knows they're under my protection thanks to you," Azure said, not bothering to repeat himself. He was unaware of dots connecting in Wukong's mind, disgust filling him.

He trusted that Azure wanted the Jade Emperor gone, for the better in his mind. But, choosing him to be the next emperor? The minute Wukong had met him, Azure had insisted that he was the perfect choice, even through frustration at him putting his monkeys first and his goofy attitude. Peng had once told him, out of spite at something Azure did, that Azure had a list of baby names for children he wanted with Wukong. Wukong had brushed it off, assuming that they just wanted chaos between him and the lion.

Except now he had to face the idea that Azure had hoped to get in his pants.

Before he could even say something or figure out what to say, Azure sighed. "I'll take your silence as a no," he said.

Lips pressed against his cheek.

"Please, think about it. I only want what is best for you." Azure pulled away, heading to the door. He paused to glance back at him with what he probably thought was a kind expression, but all Wukong could think was the idea that sat in his mind now.

"Good night."

[mysticmonkiebusiness]

"So long as we leave the world in better shape than we found it, then it's all good, right?"

The Emperor's Wrath (2023)

[pamgkrthwrites]

Brotherhood Yandere Headcanons

Warning, the following content has disturbing/triggering themes such as; Yanderes, Unhealthy/Abusive Relationships, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Isolation Murder, Slavery, Chocking, and others. I do not support or encourage these themes or actions, they are merely written fictional events for entertainment. The character(s) depicted within this post are over the age of 20.

Edit(24/06/2023): Peng as been revealed to be non-binary, this most has been edited to respect their pronouns.

Azure Lion

He in denial that he is a Yandere.

He meets you while he is in his years of mourning for his friends, befriends you, and falls in love with you.

Manipulates you into thinking all he wants is your safety.

Is weirdly obsessed with you sitting on his lap.

He ends up making himself believe he doesn't want you to contact anyone else is because he has trust issues because of Wukong and Macaque.

Yeah, sure.

Regardless, he is gentle with you.

He does try to pressure you into having children with him though.

If Wukong every touches you, he will try to kill Wukong.

Peng

The most insane out of the entire group.

They are like Wukong, falls in love with you on sight and kidnaps you.

Unlike Wukong though, they isn't going to lock you in a cave and hide you as their secret little toy no no no

They put you on a fucking collar and leash and has you crawl on your hands and knees and follow him.

Brags to the other members about you and encourage them to touch you.

In their mind, it doesn't matter because they know you are only theirs and him giving him friends permission to touch you proves it.

Will spit in your mouth and says they are watering you.

Like putting their hands around your neck and saying they'll kill you just to see your scared face

If you die, they'll put you in this room where all their's previous darlings are and dress you up like a doll.

Yellowtusk

He's a recovering Yandere. Knows he's a yandere and is trying to correct himself.

He warns you when you enter a relationship with him. He is the only yandere that if you ever call him out on his behaviour, he will actually listen and correct himself.

If you break up with him, he makes his friends hold him accountable and he's serious about it.

He is very protective of you, and that includes of himself. He doesn't want his tusk to hurt you.

Unlike Peng, he doesn't want others touching you but he tries to hold in his possessiveness. He does communicate to you he doesn't like it and appreciates it when you go out of your way to not touch other people.

When you wear something scandals, he tries to keep himself in his chair and not touch you.

He views you as a price of artwork.

The thing that will make him go full yandere again is if he sees someone hurt you.

You will end up being covered in the blood of whoever hurt you.

[nataszaluiz]

Day: 3 Brave.

PS: Does anyone know their ship name?

[monkiekidtwt]

[journeytothewestresearch]

Ming-Era Images of LMK Brotherhood

Fans of Lego Monkie Kid are certainly familiar with the present "brotherhood" consisting of Peng, Azure Lion, and Yellowtusk.

Here, I'd like to present woodblock prints depicting them from the original 1592 printing of Journey to the West.

#1 - Peng, Azure Lion, and Yellowtusk watch as Monkey is seemingly killed inside a deadly, magic vase.

#2 - The Brotherhood battles the pilgrims.

[jyytheriverdragon]

Just made some concepts for my version lf Azure Lion, Peng, Yellowtusk little spoiler but in my comic, they're not gonna be antagonists ;3c

[dragzo]

Hi guys. I’ve recently been thinking about selling prints of some of my art. I’d like your input on what prints you’d like to see available!

here are the options from 1 to 7:

[ninjahaku21art]

Peng and Yellowtusk~ I drew an unused scene from S4's storyboards, and it was so much fun!

Enjoy!

[ryin-silverfish]

You mentioned the Azure Lion, what background does he have here in fsyy? Are the Yaoguai that serve as mounts in JTTW part of the Jie sect? Can you mention what they are please?

Obligatory Disclaimer: FSYY was written after JTTW, the two novels don't take place in one universe, ppl simply like to HC they do.

But yes, the three yaoguais that serve as the mounts of Manjusri, Samantabhadra and Guanyin——Azure Lion, White Elephant and Golden-haired Hou——are all Jie Sect disciples in FSYY.

They are called the Dragon-headed Immortal(虬首仙), Spirit Tusk Immortal(灵牙仙), and the Golden Light Immortal(金光仙). First appearing in Cha. 72 as one of the many Jie Sect immortals angry at Guangcheng Zi during his visit to Biyou Palace, they are in charge of the Taiji Formation(太极阵), Twin Polarity Formation(两仪阵), and Four Bearings Formation(四象阵) during the Ten Thousand Immortal Formation arc.

Unfortunately for them, the three future Bodhisattvas transform into their Dharma Bodies(法身) and, with the help of the Pangu Banner, Taiji Talisman and Three-treasure Ruyi, break the formations. Then they are all forced to revert to their original form, made into mounts, and paraded before Patriarch Tongtian for extra insults(Cha. 83).

[itsabouttimex2]

Eclipse Kings

Part Three: Wild Dawn

(Part One: Mountain Monkeys) (Part Two: Barbed Dusk) (Part Three: You Are Here)

(Extra One)

For almost all his life, Sun Wukong had never really known “want”, not for more than the few moments it took to decide he was going to pursue some fleeting and new desire.

The land itself seemed to conspire to his favor- he was borne to a thriving mountain of surplus and luxury, sparkling stream racing down each hill, bountiful orchards with boughs so heavy they dipper near to the earth. Even the horizon was generous, spanning sunrises to color his every lavish breakfast and hosting a banner of glittering stars to lull him to sleep.

He wanted for nothing, because when the world would not bend to his whims, he simply bent it himself- to the end result of power, luxury, and adoration.

His life was fraught with the inevitable turning of blades, stuffed full of motion, conflict, and inevitable triumph. His troop grew by the year, Flower Fruit Mountain knew nothing of suffering, and his treasury was brimming with relics.

A demon crowned eternal king of a flourishing mountain, untouchable and immovable.

What more could a monkey want?

Company, as it turned out. The varied little simians scattered all through the trees and bushes of his mountain were wonderful, of course- he cherished them all like his own children, and doted on each and every one of the little menaces.

But he still wanted more.

—-——————————————————————

“That, little mortal, is when I joined my Sworn Brotherhood!”

The Great Sage Equal to Heaven smiles warmly at his recited memories, claws lightly sifting through a large collection of traditional clothing.

“We were going to lead a siege on that stuck-up realm of Celestials, but my darling moonbeam had an even better idea- why not start our own kingdoms? Instead of teaching those stuffy old fools how to respect us, we could just show them up and take all their little worshipping mortals away!”

You don’t say a word in turn, still bundled up in a fluffy towel, sitting on the nearest chair, idly watching through blank eyes. Since you hadn’t been willing to walk or respond, Wukong had scooped you up with a sigh and hurried off to his and Macaque’s shared changing room, given permission to pick out some old clothes of theirs to give you.

“Of course, all of the stuff that was supposed to be boring was, uh… a total mess. Y’know, like deciding on territories, drawing borders, figuring out taxes—ugh. Mortals do not like taxes. Sure like ‘em better than being eaten by demons, though.” He chuckles at his own words, shaking his head as if to dismiss the unpleasant memories of bureaucracy. Wukong pulls out a black ceremonial robe embroidered with purple thread and holds it up against you, squinting as if he’s considering how it might look.

“…no. My sweet moon wouldn’t like you wearing this.”

“…s’it “too nice” for me?”

“…you mortals really aren’t the best with self-esteem, are you? No, little villager- it’s because he wore something like this when we were married. After that, he started commissioning seamstresses to make him more clothes like that robe… the actual thing is framed in a glass box over our bed. I don’t understand why Mac wanted that, but I can’t ever say no to him…”

Wukong’s voice trails off, tone softening as his gaze drifted to the ceiling. A smile plays on his lips, barely restrained, as he’s replaying his dearest memory of Macaque on repeat. You shift uncomfortably, unsure how to respond, the weight of his affection for his moonlit partner pressing against the silence.

He breaks it himself, but only after walking across the room and popping open lacquered wood chest, breaking the preserving sigil printed across it .

“You know,” says the king, his claws tapping the gleaming pauldron of gold within, “I wore this when we got married.”

He turns to the side, catches the fact that you’ve perked up even a little, and continues.

“It was the nicest thing I owned at the time- most of my outfits were skinned animals and stolen rags. This is something my brothers had given me, so it was the nicest thing I had that wasn’t my staff.”

Wukong’s fingers linger on the golden armor, tone rich with an ancient nostalgia. “I wasn’t one for fancy clothes back then- still coming around to it now- but I was even worse with it back then. I wanted to go in my tiger skirt and my old boots! But my brothers? Oh, they insisted: “You’re getting married- you can’t just show up looking like a bandit on your wedding day!” So they gave me this, and a nice red robe with a ton of silly characters embroidered into it- it’s framed right next to my mate’s robe, now.”

Say something. You need to say something. You can’t just mumble and mutter if you want to stay in a king’s good graces, can you?

“…do you… remember your vows?”

He perks with a smile, intrigued by the random question, entirely missing how dangerously close you are to cracking.

“Well, if that’s want you want to know, how about I tell you about the whole ceremony? Here, I’ll lay out how it went…”

——————————————————————

Macaque shuffles in place for a moment, old meekness returning to him- his hands twitch, and the notes smoothly inked onto the sleeve of his silk robe catch in the light, drawing his aureate eyes downwards. The crowd all around is nervous mortals and drunk demons, dressed in red or black or gold, held at peace mostly by his eager “brothers”. On Azure’s lap and shoulders are several children, more interested in his blade and snout than the ceremony. He’s smiling, more at ease than any other here.

The others for the most part are doing alright. Peng is preoccupied with their drink, casually allowing themselves to be marveled at by a blacksmith and a jeweler- though neither are allowed to touch, both mortals are fervently etching the gilded designs into their paper scrolls. The avian flaps those glimmering wings on occasion, causing streaks of light to flash over the modest venue, catching across the polished tiles.

Yellowtusk sits on a carved stone chair, marking the attendants in a neat ledger, made oversized to fit his hands. Several troops of Long-Tailed and Crab-Eating Macaques play on his trunk and tusks, their little fingers deftly taking hold in the cracks of his thick skin to ascend it. They don’t ever distract him for more than a few seconds, even when the youngest cubs forget their manners and start chirping in his ears.

The largest of their Brotherhood stands at attention in the doorway, toying with the straps of his battle axe. His face is painted with a rarely seen apprehension, looking back and forth over the room on occasion. Sometimes his gaze stills on a veil-shrouded woman with painted lips, and then he smiles for a moment.

The Demon Bull King is not nearly as subtle of a man as he thinks.

Not that it matters- when, for all that (which is very much) his Sworn Brothers know he’s courting a Celestial Maiden, they’ve chosen to keep an oath of silence on the matter.

(“He’s our big guy,” as Wukong had put it during one meeting months ago. “And we want that goofball to be happy.”)

(All of them- even Peng- had toasted to that notion, in the general direction of the bull’s empty chair.)

The mortals are safe. His brothers are content. He can do this.

Once more the dried notes on his sleeve catch Macaque’s attention, snapping him from the venue and to his golden love.

One last time he goes over them, dedicating those practiced words to memory.

He takes a breath, and turns to the audience.

“My mate-to-be is… molten gold, kissed by the rising sun. Beautiful is a shallow word to describe him- he is a masterpiece, a divine work of art carved by the heavens themselves. His eyes hold the all the world’s fire within them, blazing with the brilliance of a thousand sunsets. His laughter is a hymn to freedom itself, a melody I pray to hear every day for the rest of my life. When I look at him, I don’t just see a king, but the very heart of my existence, the axis upon which my world turns. He is my sun, my storm, my sanctuary, my everything.”

Several of the softer mortals are touched by his speech, lifting their cotton sleeves to the very corners of their eyes. Others only lightly clap, still uncomfortable at being called to the union.

Macaque does not have time to look away from before Wukong’s ginger-furred paws clasp onto his shoulders, holding tight.

There are no notes, no hours of reciting, no time spent with helpful Sworn Brothers to listen and offer advice, no matter how snarky- Sun Wukong simply turns from the crowd and offers himself.

“Macaque… I love you. I want you to be my mate forever. Until the sun goes dark.” Wukong's tail flicks behind him, expression softening with a rare blush. "Because... you're part of my story, bud. You’ve always been a part of it. And I'm tired of pretending like I can write the rest of it without you. Be mine forever and let’s be mates.”

The world is blurry, at least to Macaque. Nine and a half seconds prior he had thought there’d be some disappointment to push through, delivered an insincere joke or a vow written by another’s hand.

But there was only been Sun Wukong, love of his life, smiling at him.

“I will be your mate,” he chokes out, “forever. Until the sun goes dark.”

——————————————————————

“We’ve never been apart since then,” he purrs, dragging one claw over a hanfu the color of a sky on a gentle morning, toying with the white sash to untie it. “Not even for a day.”

Before you have a chance to respond, he plucks up the garment and holds it out to you. The size difference between him and the outfit is comical, and you wonder why these two demon kings have it in the first place.

“This should fit you, bud! Here, let’s get that towel off-“

You scream.

It’s not particularly loud or long, or even desperate- but it’s a scream all the same.

Worse still for yourself, you take this hysteric moment to lay on some shaky remand.

“NO! No more! Just stop touching me! I don’t- I d-don’t like it! You’re- you’re twice my size and you keep- you and him are always getting in my face and- a-and putting your hands on me, and I- I’m am so, so sick of it! I am not an o-object! I am a person! I am a person! I-“

“Quiet. Now.”

Wukong’s golden eyes narrow as he stands there, the weight of his presence pressing down on the room like a thundercloud ready to burst. His tail flicks sharply, but his voice remains measured.

…there are tears rolling down your eyes now, lost in the fluffy expanse of the towel around your body, sopping uselessly away as the king takes two footsteps to your form, frowning.

Not that it does anything to settle the rapid beat of your heart, crushed by the newly oppressive atmosphere.

“…you’re scared. I understand that. And maybe my moonbeam and I, we’ve been a little too hands on. That’s on us. But this my pagoda, and I did not build it by hand so that a little guest could yell at me. You know that you’re not a prisoner here. The doors aren’t locked, and there aren’t guards stationed outside them… now. I’ll let you get dressed- alone- and then you can eat. And…

“And no more touching without your permission. Okay?”

“…m’sorry. F-for yelling.”

“…I’m not mad,” he lies, one hand shifting to condescendingly pat you on the head. “I forget- my brothers, and my mate, too- we yaoguai just aren’t the same as mortals. You little things are scared too easily, and break so quickly.”

Something about hearing that is humiliating, but you don’t dare argue with him. Instead, you hunch your shoulders and cling to the towel, sniveling down at the floor.

Wukong’s frown softens the longer he watches you cry, all the sharpest edges of his irritation melting away into something closer to pity.

“I’ll leave it here. Call if you get lost looking for the kitchen.”

His words are painfully curt, and then the king is gone, golden beads and silk robes swishing behind him with each step.

You were never close, and only ever tangentially in the “good graces” of these kings. It’s not like you’ve shattered some precious bond.

But you still feel bad.

You wouldn’t, not usually. But as you unwrap the towel and begin to dress yourself in the lovely hanfu left draped over the chair nearest to you, the aches and pains of yesterday’s chase down the mountain weigh on you, just as MK’s new identity and newer happiness strike a deep point of insecurity- that you simply weren’t good enough to take care of him.

You weren’t good enough to provide for him anymore.

You wanted to believe you were more than them- strong enough to survive on your own, to fight your way through the world with MK in tow. But the truth was harder to face: Sun Wukong and the Six-Eared Macaque were meteoric gods, and you were just a mortal caught in the tides of their myth.

And where MK was thriving in this ecliptic chaos, you instead were already cracking under pressure after only a day spent before the kings.

…there’s a lovely silk pouch, dyed the color of new lavender blooms, hanging from the hanfu- you only notice it after tying the sash into a decent bow. The soft texture grounds your tumultuous thoughts, and a powerful aroma steadily drifts from within.

You fiddle with the tie and open the sash, revealing a dried bundle of orange blossoms tightly tied together, each stem marked with a glittering mystic sigil- 提高.

Whatever scent they would’ve had already was amplified by the marking, causing a heavy flow of fresh floral scent to ooze from the little purse.

You lift it and take a deep breath from the bag, allowing the veil of citrus aroma to utterly cloud your mind, providing it a much needed fog to rest under.

The soothing haze is slow to fade, even after you’ve pulled away and sealed the bag, but eventually you are left with only your steadied thoughts in the ornate chamber, amongst fine silks and polished wood, treasures of centuries past hung casually about It’s beautiful—almost too much so.

A reminder that this world of theirs is not the same of yours.

But you would not stop trying to survive in it.

You couldn’t.

[thebritishdragon]

Jingshen: We’ve got to stop meeting like this.

Redson: YOU HIT ME IN THE HEAD WITH A PIPE!

Jingshen: Lies.

Redson: WHAT DO YOU MEAN???

••• Mk: We have to talk about the elephant in the room.

Yellowtusk: Morning.

•••

Ji de: What would you do if someone were to, hypothetically, set the forest on fire?

Jingshen: What did you do, Ji?

Ji de standing behind a burning forest: A mistake.

•••

Mk: Jingshen, you can’t keep biting villains! One day your actions will catch up to you!

Jingshen: Not unless I run!

•••

Macaque: So are we all cool?

Monkie Kids: Yeah!

Jingshen and Bao: NUH UH!

[mysticmonkiebusiness]

The Antagonists of Season 4