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miserymerci · 3 months

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Fluffy February Day 5: Planet - Maybe When the Sun Comes Up

@ // fluffyfebruary

Fandom: Lego Monkie Kid

Characters: MK and Sun Wukong

(Father-son relationship, hurt and comfort, platonic cuddling)

Warnings: Possible dissociation

Summary: Set after S3 E7 (Cooking with Chang’e). Wukong is taunted by Macaque. Except, something doesn’t feel right. Wukong floats between life and nothing. Sometimes all someone needs is to feel the ground beneath their feet, and the gravity weighing down on them.

The breeze combed Wukong’s fur and prickled his skin. Something warm and cold simultaneously seeped through his veins, like heavy rain and like simmering blood. It felt misplaced— wrong. The rain clouds should not be crying; his body should not be sick with anger.

Wukong choked on life and shot his head off the ground.

The world, deep and dark, stared back at him. Hard rain ricocheted off the rock under his hands. He sputtered, coughed, and rolled onto his back.

One moment, the moon was whole. The next, there was an eclipse.

“Hey, Sun Wukong ,” said Macaque, the moonlight spilling onto his edges.

Distant thunder rolled. Wukong’s simmering blood roared along with it.

“You!” he spat, the words drowned by the downpour.

Macaque squeezed one clawed hand around Wukong’s neck. Wukong’s limbs were heavy, hands only forming into fists as Macaque closed in on him; a weightless and pressuring, freezing and burning thing.

Wukong wanted to choke. He could not– not anymore.

“Don’t look so mad,” said Macaque like a pitter-patter of rain underneath a raging storm. He eyed Wukong’s bared teeth and smiled. “It makes you look stupid. You knew that your actions would lead you here. Don’t try to act innocent on me, now. We both know the truth.”

‘The truth?’ Wukong wanted to say, but his mouth remained shut. His eyelashes fluttered at the next numbing breeze.

Macaque smiled and laughed like a soft, broken tune.

“You know ! You do !” he barked with a heavier laugh. His teeth, gleaming like the moon, leaned in closer to Wukong’s face. His hand shook against Wukong’s throat.

Wukong still couldn’t feel it. His chest felt faint, as if the most important bits of it were floating away. The rain cried against the rock. The bramble and brush howled with the wind. Touches of ghosts pinned him to the ground.

“Whatever plan is brewing in that little noggin of yours is never going to work . Like all your plans, they’re just doomed to fail. And , just like the rest of them, you’re going to ruin the ones you love, aren’t you?” sneered Macaque. The rain was beginning to drag his fur down, a stream of it dripping to splatter and run down Wukong’s face.

Wukong blinked.

‘No,’ Wukong wanted to say, ‘I have a plan– more of a blueprint, really, but I’ll be taking all the blame. I’m going to do this right– play this right– and in the end, I’ll do it by myself !’

But the words were never said.

Macaque’s eyes dulled, the smile became lazy, and the sound of the storm fell into a muffled patter.

“When are you ever going to learn ?” he said quietly, seethingly. The ghost touches grew cold. Nails pushed into Wukong’s buzzing fresh. “Still the same self-destructive, collateral-damage Wukong. Will you change once someone is killed over your incompetence?”

The breath was coming back to Wukong. Heavy at first; lungs digging into the oxygen like claws scooping quicksand. They clawed and clawed and scooped in a craze, dormant one moment and slipping the next.

Wukong filled his chest with empty air.

Macaque’s other hand clamped over Wukong’s mouth before he could speak.

“But no,” said Macaque, “no, that’s not right, is it? You’ve already killed someone. How could another’s change you? Maybe you’re not meant for change. Maybe you’re doomed to curse everyone who’s ever had the misfortune of loving you… does that sound right?”

The rain wept and wept. The purple glow of Macaque’s eyes was too much. In a brave display of energy, Wukong’s eyes flitted over to look at the tiny stone monkey perched sweetly atop its rocky bedding.

Over him, Macaque’s nails dug deeper into his skin.

“Look at me,” he said through clenched teeth. “ Look !”

Wukong did not. The rain began to feel cooler against him. His lungs fought against that quicksand. He coughed against Macaque’s palm, gasped a struggling breath, and shot one leg up to kick Macaque in the stomach.

Macaque shouted something– swallowed by the thunder above– and dark eyes and purple limbs came crashing down on him.

Wukong took his attacker by the throat.

His cry came out strangled. For a frightening second, dark hair was midnight fur shimmering in the moonlight– and then the vision was gone.

“MK!” gasped Wukong, hand dropping to his successor’s shoulder. “ Kid , I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

Above him, MK took a fleeting breath and shrunk back.

“Um… yeah. Yeah, I am. Are you ?”

Wukong sat up slowly and looked around. The group was sound asleep around them, the night sky was speckled and full, and MK was kneeling at his side.

“I… Here, let me take another look at this.”

MK managed to stay mostly-still as Wukong’s golden vision swept over him. Then, he let out one last shuddering breath and shuffled closer again.

“Bad dream?” asked MK, cautiously.

“You can call it that,” said Wukong. “It might leave a mark for a day or two. I really am sorry, bud. I’d poof up some ointment, but it wouldn’t exactly do anything because it’s technically hair .”

“It’s okay.”

“I don’t think it is.”

Wukong flexed his hand experimentally. His skin was still buzzing; still numb from his dream. He frowned.

“It is kind of cold,” said MK as he watched him.

“What?”

“It’s cold out,” he repeated.

It wasn’t really to Wukong. The breeze was light and gentle, and the clouds were pleasantly still. Yet, MK did look flushed with cold. Maybe a mortal thing.

The thought gave no comfort.

“Wh…” Wukong shook his head, “ What are you awake for, bud? You should be asleep. You know, not interrupting other people’s sleep.”

MK at least had the decency to look sheepish.

“Yeah, well… I took a look at Pigsy’s recipe book and decided to try to make one of Chang’e’s mooncakes.”

“What?”

“I took a look at–”

“No, bud. I heard you the first time,” Wukong rubbed his eyes, “I just– now ? Of all times? Why don’t you bother the chef?”

When Wukong blinked back into focus, MK was looking at him worriedly.

“Don’t look like that,” said Wukong before he could stop himself.

MK’s expression faltered, tried to harden, failed, and then became worried again.

“Sorry. Um… I’m not allowed to wake up Pigsy until six in the morning. It’s a rule. And I needed mooncake molds because I don’t know how to shape mooncakes without them– oh, and probably an oven too. I need an oven.”

Wukong blinked at him.

“You want me to poof up cake molds and an oven?”

“I wouldn’t mind an Easy Bake?”

Wukong fell back down to his back and slung an arm over his eyes.

“I don’t know what to say to you right now, bud.”

He heard MK sniffle. Then, two crossed arms pressed onto his chest. Lightly at first, but then pushed down carefully until MK’s top-half was fully settled on top of him.

Wukong inhaled harshly. The oxygen found grace in his lungs.

“What is it?” wheezed Wukong, peeking down at his successor.

“Do you ever want to run away?” asked MK.

Wukong blinked at the top of MK’s head and guessed that he was staring at the stars. He frowned, swallowed, and then looked up

“That’s a weird question,” he said.

“I mean like… go off and never come back. As far as you can go.”

“No,” said Wukong, quietly, “do you?”

MK huffed. He tucked his knees closer to his stomach, pressing Wukong with more of his weight.

After a moment, the warmth began seeping back into Wukong’s bones; gently, as if it was there all along; like the feeling was finally thawing out.

“Maybe sometimes,” said MK when Wukong’s breaths were easier. “I don’t actually mean any of it, though. Just quick thoughts. When I’m really freaked out, I mean.”

“I don’t like the thought. Running away, I mean. Don’t like it.”

MK relaxed from his place on Wukong’s chest.

“That makes sense,” he said, “you just want to make things right.”

Wukong was glad MK couldn’t see his face. His hands, feeling as if they were truly his hands again, went up to settle around MK. The ground dug against his back. The cool breeze tickled his nose. His kid, though heavy, pulled together his jittering limbs until they clicked back into one body.

“One day, we might,” said Wukong.

“Might what?”

“Make things right. But… not right now. And sometimes, I feel like we never will.”

MK didn’t reply. He was almost entirely curled into a little ball of monkey. It probably wasn’t comfortable at all. So, after one more full breath, Wukong sat up and let MK slip down to his side.

“ Ow ,” said MK, not actually hurt at all.

“ Yeah right , you baby. Mortals are so fragile .”

“Am not .”

“And because mortals are so fragile,” said Wukong, ignoring MK’s protests, “they need their sleep.”

“I’m not a baby.”

“ I’m more than a thousand years old, bud. You're always going to be a kid to me.”

Wukong curled an arm over MK, letting him weigh him down to the Earth. He settled his chin on top of MK’s head– just for now. In a few minutes, he planned to let go, and then they would wake up as normal and carry on with their way.

Unfortunately, like most of his plans, they were doomed to fail.

“It’s okay to be hurt,” said MK, minutes later, when Wukong thought he was already asleep, “I get it.”

Wukong laughed softly.

“Bud, you hold grudges like they’re toasted marshmallows.”

“Wh– what does that even mean? I can hold a grudge!”

Across from them, Tang grumbled in his sleep.

Wukong sent a warning look in MK’s direction before continuing.

“I think that’s a good thing about you, even though it can lead you to trouble. But there are a lot of things between him and I that aren’t easy to explain. If I tried to put it into words… Well, I don’t know. It’s complicated. I am hurt. He is too. We’re hurting each other. Nothing I’m thinking feels right.”

MK was giving him that worried look again. Wukong forced himself to blink back to the present.

“Do you want me to give you those molds and an oven, now?” asked Wukong.

“Not yet,” said MK, blinking slowly and settling down completely at Wukong’s side. “Maybe in the morning.”

Wukong blinked.

“Yeah,” he agreed in a whisper, “maybe in the morning.”

#lego monkie kid #lmk mk #lmk sun wukong #lmk sunburst duo #lmk fanfiction

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lunar-wandering · 1 year

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Happy Salmon

A short lil LMK fic of just the gang having fun, because man, they deserve a break.

Summary: MK brings a new card game to game night.

Word Count: 1.5k

Read on Ao3

MK slapped the new game he had purchased earlier that day onto the table in the Noodle Shop. Everyone was sitting together, the Noodle Shop closed for this night's round of Family Game Night. Through a lot of bribing and convincing, Macaque, Wukong, and Red Son were joining them for the first time. They’d already played through some of their usual games, and aside from a couple small moments of laughter and over dramatics (when Macaque found out one game hinged on being able to tell who was lying and who was telling the truth, oh, he put his theatre voice on up to the NINES, speaking in the exact same overdramatic fashion at all times, making it impossible to tell if he was outright lying or simply overdramatizing the truth), but thus far, things hadn’t descended into true unrestrained chaos. Yet.

That was soon going to change.

As the others discussed how the past games had gone, MK sat in his chair and took out the game’s rule book to silently read through, knowing that so long as he read it at least once before reading it outloud to the others, he’d be able to articulate it in a way the others would better understand before they played their first practice round.

He didn’t even make it through reading the first sentence before he choked on his own spit, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

“Ya alright, kid?” Pigsy asked, and MK held one hand over his mouth for a moment, in shock, processing, before holding back laughter as he set the rule book down on the table so that the others would be able to look and read it over his shoulder.

“Oh, I think we’re in for it.” MK snickered, pointing at the very first paragraph. “The very first line says ‘this game is best played when standing’.”

A near simultaneous “Oh- no.” went around the table, and MK laughed even harder when he read the next line.

“This game requires you to shout at all times-”

Another, more serious “Oh no.”, mostly said with humor, albeit there were a few looks at Macaque, to see what he thought about it. Noticing the looks, he simply shrugged, waving them away. He could deal with it, it would be fine.

MK, laughing the entire time, ran over the rest of the rules. Apparently, you needed to find someone who was shouting the same action card name as you, perform the action with them, and then discard the card from your personal deck as fast as possible by any means necessary, even if it meant throwing the card over your shoulder or to the floor. There were a total of four actions, high fives, fist bumps, a kinda secret handshake-esque thing where you each lightly slapped the other’s forearm, and- MK nearly wheezed before he read the next bit- swapping places with the other person.

The air was tinged with the anticipation of chaos as they all stood up, moving the chairs they had been sitting on out of the way as MK set out the proper amount of card decks on the table.

“Ok.” MK said, as everyone picked up their own deck. In all honesty, the game sounded simple enough, just find someone who matched what you were shouting and miming the action of, discard your card, and be the first person to get rid of all your cards. It probably wouldn’t take too long, nor be that hard. “Everybody ready?”

There was a series of nods around the table.

“Then three… two…. one…. go!!”

Almost instantly, it was like pure chaos had manifested itself into the room. It was nigh impossible to tell who was yelling what, and MK could barely breathe from the energy as everyone frantically exchanged high fives and fistbumps- MK caught Tang also shouting ‘Switch it up!’, and upon making sure they had locked eyes, both of them took off running to get to the other’s spot on the other side of the table. At the same time, Pigsy and Wukong did the same thing, MK and his mentor almost bumping into each other as they skidded into place, tossing their cards down at the same time. Macaque’s ears were pinned against the side of his head in response to the loud noise, but still even he was smiling and laughing like a maniac as he fist bumped with Mei.

They almost missed it when Red Son shouted that he had won, all his cards gone, it taking him repeating it a solid 3 times, as well as slamming his hands down on the table, before any of the others noticed.

Almost instantly, it was like a pressure had abated, as MK practically collapsed to the ground, holding onto the table with one hand as he struggled to regain his breath, feeling like he had just run an entire race, struggling to take deep breaths in and out around remnant laughter. Holy shit, that had been far more intense than he had thought it would be, and it wasn’t even like he’d done anything difficult!! A couple of the others were in the same state, Mei and Red Son shrugging off their jackets, knowing full well that, with this practice round as an example, they were likely going to end up working up a sweat as everyone decided that they simply had to do multiple more rounds. Macaque rubbed at his ears a little.

“Do you need some headphones, Macaque?” Mei asked, as she went through the process of picking up the cards that had been scattered haphazardly around the table, sorting them back into their own colour coded decks.

“Nah, I’m fine.” Macaque picked up the purple deck as soon as it was finished, absentmindedly shuffling it. “I know what I’m in for this time, chaos isn’t nearly as annoying or painful as the background noise of electric lights.”

“Cheers to that.” MK said, picking up the yellow deck as soon as it was ready. “Alright, everyone ready for round two?”

There was multiple sounds of agreement, and things readily fell into chaos once again.

Round’s 2 and 3 were much like the first, filled with chaos, and a cacophony of noise. The only real difference was that, when MK won in round 3, overwhelmed by the sheer energy the game had put into him, instead of yelling that he had won, he simply shrieked, which ended up being a lot louder and higher pitched than he had been expecting. He covered his mouth apologetically as the others winced, and Macaque covered his ears.

“...Sorry.” Macaque waved him off.

“‘S fine bud, just don’t do it again.”

It was round 6 when things started to go a little downhill.

“Switch it up!!” MK had yelled- looking around the table and straining to tell if anyone had the same action card as him- only to yelp as it suddenly felt like the floor gave out from under him as he plummeted down-

There was a flash of violet, and suddenly he was standing on the opposite side of the table from where he had been before, Macaque standing where MK had previously been.

Oh.

Oh, so that’s how he wanted to play this, then.

Okay.

As soon as Macaque’s shadow-portalling had registered, it was instantly like all bets were off. Obviously, there wasn’t much that could be done in terms of the fist bumps and high fives… but the switch-it-ups were now a competition.

Red Son started using his fire teleportation- very nearly singeing Tang’s arm as he appeared right beside him, Tang only just barely managing to lean away in time. Both Mei and MK started using their enhanced speed to get around the table faster, very nearly hitting each other multiple times.

Wukong, unwilling to waste time with a backflip to summon his cloud, simply decided to outright vault over the table, sending cards flying everywhere with his action, and almost slamming into Macaque as he landed on the other side.

This went on for nearly 2 minutes- fire, green and yellow sparks, as well as purple shadows flickering around the room as the chaos unfolded.

It only stopped when both Wukong and Macaque threw their final cards down on the table and shouted “I win!!” at the exact same time.

Both monkeys immediately paused, before glaring at each other, fur standing on end in a way that MK mentally compared to two cats about to start a fight. Thankfully, they were spared from witnessing another monkey argument as Sandy spoke up.

“Uh, actually, I won about a minute or so ago- but you were all too distracted to notice.”

Everyone glanced over and, sure enough, there were no cards remaining in Sandy’s hands.

“I also think that, maybe, we should switch to a different game.” Sandy held up a nearly burnt card, using it as an example that had everyone visibly wincing. “Y’know, before we accidentally destroy Pigsy’s shop.”

…Okay, so maybe things had gotten a little out of hand.

…Happy Salmon quickly became regulated as a game to only be played outside, or in Wukong’s house.

#Monkie Kid #fanfic #my writing

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theknittingshadow · 10 months

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A Shadow’s Scattered Thoughts on “Journey to the West”

Alright, people. Blame @semisolidmind for getting me into Lego Monkie Kid. Finally decided to check out the original “Journey to the West. Strap yourselves in because there will be NO organization or cohesion to this whatsoever!

I’m at Chapter 20 right now and so far…

-Wukong’s a little pretentious and entitled but, considering none of the monkeys of Huaguoshan questioned the existence of a fully-furnished palace in Water Curtain Cave, I’m not surprised.

-Shifu Subhodi definitely WAS harsh striking Wukong on the head, as I had heard about before. However, IT WAS ALL A SECRET CODE FOR SECRET IMMORTALITY LESSONS! Hallelujah, he’s not as big a jerk as I feared. Still, there are better ways to get your point across, sir.

-At first, it seemed like the book went on long tangents of unrelated stories. I began to think this was less a book with one overarching storyline and more a collection of stories. Then, I finally got to when Tang is chosen to go on the journey. I realized it was all BACKSTORY.

-The Celestial Realm is simultaneously more and less merciful than I thought. On one hand, they kept giving Wukong chance after chance when he’d get upset and beat someone up or something. On the other hand, they beat and banished Wujing over BREAKING A CUP.

-I was super confused on Lego Monkie Kid’s characterization of Ao Lie when the book first implied he set his father’s palace on fire on purpose. Continuing, it seems more like he lit the place on ACCIDENT. WHICH MAKES HIS WHOLE “AVOIDING CARELESS ACTIONS” and “MY POWES HAVE ONLY EVER GOTTEN ME IN TROUBLE” SPIEL MAKE TOTAL SENSE!!!!!!

-There is so much poetry in here, guys. So So So Much.

-Speaking of poetry, it reminded me of both the Odyssey and several Shakespeare plays where they pause to sing a song or something.

-Why does the author keep making the characters reiterate what just happened? They Do The Thing. Then they gotta explain to someone else The Thing. There’s rarely an instance of “and they recounted the events just described” and leave it at that.

-Why does the Jade Emperor need to take a carriage to go literally anywhere? Even just to the other side of the courtyard? Is it a really big yard?

-Tripitaka DID seem like an overreacting crybaby but then I thought “this is PTSD at work” and IT ALL MAKES SENSE. He gets kidnapped by ogres who kill and eat his personally chosen companions (who came from his monastery and whom he most likely grew up with as friends) before his very eyes. Of course he’s going to freeze up and/or freak out every time a monster appears and Wukong needs to leave his side for whatever reason.

-Related, crying now that you have to walk to the West seems ridiculous until you think it might be more crying about how he was nearly eaten by the dragon that ate his horse!

-Seriously, I could go on about Tang’s unusually frequent crying and how it relates to potential PTSD and delayed reaction to said trauma.

-People keep calling the disciples ugly right to their faces and I Do Not Appreciate It. On another note, Wukong is surprisingly chill about this.

-Bodhisattva Guanyin used a fillet on a bear yaogaui in one chapter. I was not expecting that. Maybe ancient ideas of mercy are different compared to today?

-I’ve read and seen SO many stories of how Zhu Bajie kidnapped the human woman he married but that’s…not what happened. Sort of. They married with both her and her family’s consent. It was only after his true appearance, huge appetite, and poor manners were revealed that her family tries to get rid of him. He keeps his wife away from them as a result. Normally, I’d say good for him for trying to cut off toxic people but his wife was described as pale and unkept when Tang and Wukong arrive. So…she’s not doing good and should really be returned to her family.

-Wukong laughs at people and calls himself “Old Monkey” a lot.

More scattered thoughts to come!

#Journey to the West #jttw #sun wukong #wukong #tang #tripitaka #zhu bajie #sha wujing #lmk #lego monkie kid #ao lie #guanyin #scattered thoughts #Tw murder #tw death #tw kidnapping #Tw ptsd

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the-monkey-ruler · 10 months

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The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (2007) 中華大仙マイケルとメイメイの冒

Date: September 6, 2007 Platform: Wii Developer: Starfish / Opera House Publisher: UFO Interactive Games, Inc. / Starfish Genre: Shoot 'Em Up Theme: Fantasy / Comedy / Anime Franchises: Chūka Taisen Aliases: Shin Chūka Taisen: Michael to Meimei no Bōken Type: Retelling

Summary:

A remake of the 1988 historical-fantasy arcade shoot-'em-up Chuuka Taisen, putting players in the role of monkey kid Wukong (or his sister Mei Mei) as they ride their flying cloud across ancient China to become the Cloud Master.

The Monkey King: The Legend Begins (known in Japan as Shin Chuuka Taisen: Michael to Meimei no Bouken, loosely translated to "True Legendary Chinese Hermit: The Adventure of Michael and Meimei") is a historical-fantasy 2D side-scrolling shoot-'em-up developed by Starfish (along with Opera House) and published for the Nintendo Wii in Japan (published by Starfish on September 6, 2007) and North America (published by UFO on May 30, 2008).

It is a remake of the 1988 Hot-B / Taito arcade game Chuuka Taisen (better known overseas as "Cloud Master"), putting players into the role of two part-monkey children siblings (Wukong Chen and Mei Mei Chen, or "Michael" and "Meimei" in the Japanese version) as they ride their flying clouds across Ancient China in order to train to become the "Cloud Master" (or "Chuka Taisen").

The gameplay and structure is similar to the original game, with new features (such as two-player simultaneous co-operative play and motion controls for adjusting the horizontal position). Despite the North American box art, the game features a cutesy art style and some comedic elements.

Source: https://www.giantbomb.com/the-monkey-king-the-legend-begins/3030-6094/

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2KUeu0grzEA&ab_channel=BraindeadEntertainment

#The Monkey King: The Legend Begins #中華大仙マイケルとメイメイの冒 #Starfish #Opera House #jttw media #video game #game #retelling #rewrite

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sketching-shark · 1 year

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People get mad at me whenever I point out how kinda suckish Wukong is as a person. Saying that I don't understand his trauma or his pain and that he's trying. But like, I understand Wukong might be going through some shit, but his pain doesn't excuse him causing pain to others.

And it's not like those who criticize Wukong are pulling stuff from their ass. It's repeatedly illustrated in the show by the writers that everyone in Wukong's past who is still alive hates him because of the pain he caused them. Because of his mistakes. His decisions. His recklessness. They touch on this A LOT. They have Mei outright say it in S3.

"Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?!" Story of Wukong's life, apparently. Macaque, the Brotherhood, MK, Mei. All suffered through extreme trauma because of Wukong. Azure Lion and Macaque get literal PTSD just from seeing MK act/look like Wukong.

Not to say Wukong is a bad person morally, but he's like a ticking time bomb. You can chuck it at the enemy, but it can just as easily blow up in your face as well.

Monkie Kid spoilers + me grumbling and being mean to a monkey on main below

SSSSSSIIIIIIIGGGGGGHHHHHH yea anon you've definitely hit the nail on their being frankly enormous amounts of whiplash in Monkie Kid canon and fanon at this point in terms of the plot going out of its way to repeatedly write Sun Wukong as a reckless idiot who ruins the lives of everyone around him & literally everyone who knew him from his past hates his guts because of dumb destructive stuff he did AND YET the hope is routinely dangled that maybe they'll be some good explanation for why he acts the way he acts and maybe they'll all get to be best friends at some point. But given this unrelenting insistence on more angst & more trauma, which frequently is written as partially or completely the consequence of what Sun Wukong did or what he failed to do, my doubt that they'll be able to write that in a satisfying way given everything that happened beforehand grows stronger. Because if we're being honest at this point the Monkey King has been portrayed as so careless, so destructive, so incapable of making a genuinely good decision that there isn't a single person who's life was made better from their interactions with Sun Wukong, and many whose lives were made much worse. So we're left in this weird state where on one hand lots of people recognize that and thus either hate the Monkey King wholesale and/or frequently depict SWK getting yelled at and rejected by everyone in their fan creations, while simultaneously depicting him in other ways as a beloved member of team good guy & having a strong relationship with Macaque, never mind that the shadow monkey's generally see as the main victim of SWK's badness. In addition, even the audience has barely gotten a glimpse at what the root of SWK's trauma may be, but I worry that at this point any painful past he might be given will be too little and too late to explain his actions. And I HATE that trope of "sad past=automatic redemption" so I really hope that's not what they're aiming for.

Either way & as I've said before, at this point it's kind of baffling why any of the other characters--who it must be remembered have no knowledge about the headband torture times--would even consider legoshow Sun Wukong getting trapped in ink hell world a bad thing. As far as they know he's done nothing but hurt and betray literally everyone for 0 reason except being stupid and selfish. And him getting trapped in the memory scroll means he'll be punished forever for his monkey crimes as he apparently so richly deserves all while the ticking time bomb that is Sun Wukong won't ever get the chance to hurt anyone ever again. So, win-win!

Truly, this was the best way to introduce the Monkey King & Journey to the West to the west & Chinese kids, huh.

#monkie kid spoilers #monkie kid sun wukong #anon answered #yea warning that i'm being a bit of a mean pessimist here haha

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skellebonez · 2 years

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Cotton Tails and Borrowed Time: Chapter 5

Edited (and planned) with the help of my friend Bucky! Couldn’t do this without you!

A couple notes: And we're back! After this chapter expect slightly longer waits between them, but not quite as long as this wait. So this fic doesn't end up taking 3 months and 20 chapters to post we are trying to make these chapters a little bit longer!

Also, I would like to shout out blizthegoatboi, pyggy-baby, and mysteriesinmyminds for their art inspired by the fic! Thank you all so much, all links are directly within the appropriate usernames!

Check out the AO3 link and look at the chapter titles for a fun little Easter Egg, btw.

“So, what up, Monkey King?” MK asked once they were out of the door to Tang’s apartment’s line of sight. “You got a plan for how we hunt down the bros?”

“Sorta,” Sun Wukong said with a half a chuckle. His successor’s excitement and eagerness to help his friends and family (and he knew very well who the younger considered family) was something that the sage found endearing about him. It was part of the reason why he picked him in the first place, part of what made him a fit for the role of Monkie Kid. “What do you remember about that fight the other day?”

“Nothing all that exciting,” MK answered with a shrug. The two stopped at the bottom of the stairs, leaning against them as they talked. “Jin and Yin were following us around for a while. I think they thought we didn’t notice... but it was kinda obvious. They attacked us once we were closer to home and gave some kind of speech about how they were gonna ‘prove they could outsmart the Monkie Kid!’ And then they actually tried to fight me. Put up a decent fight for once.“

“What do you mean?” Sun Wukong asked with a raise of his brow, suddenly a little more intrigued.

“Most of their past schemes were basically a two-step plan they either didn’t think through or thought too much about,” MK said with a cringe, clearly remembering his past run-ins with the Metal Brothers. “It was weird though...”

“Weird how?” The Monkey King asked, interest piqued immediately at the confused tone of his successor.

“It was like they planned out the fight in advance,” MK muttered as he scratched the back of his head in thought. “That’s not really their thing, ya know? It was almost like—”

“They had help,” Sun Wukong said simultaneously with MK. “Makes sense, with everything that happened a few months ago. A lot of the demons in the area have relocated and formed new alliances. I know I saw the Bull family welcoming a few people from the Lantern City whose homes were damaged, and now there’s a lot more travel to their fortress on the regular from demons and humans alike who they’ve helped.”

“Really!?” MK shouted in surprise, laughing once he processed the information. “That explains why Red has been so tired during our video calls and game streams! He still doesn’t wanna look soft in front of us, he keeps saying he’s working on robots but I bet he and his dad have been cooking for everyone.”

Sun Wukong couldn’t help but smile at the thought. From what he had seen flying over the area on his cloud? MK’s guess was probably right on the money. His nose could always pick up the telltale smell of that spice the fire wielding demon liked to add to his cuisine.

Things had changed so much since the defeat of the Lady Bone Demon. Yet at the same time it was almost like they were back to the simpler times before the Lunar New Year. New friends, old foes, new allies. Sometimes old foes became new allies.

They hadn’t had the chance to visit Chang’e again, though it wasn’t exactly a secret that Pigsy and her had exchanged contact info to work on recipes together. Nezha visited from time to time now that his duty of guarding the map was no longer necessary. Sun Wukong still found it odd to see the Third Lotus Prince rolling around on roller skates, instead of his fire wheels. Nevertheless, the Great Sage was happy that Nezha was able to enjoy parts of modern life with MK, Mei, Red Son, and Bai He.

Speaking of Bai He...

He knew that wasn’t her actual name, but no one would tell him what it was! It was almost like a running joke to keep him out of the loop, making it so he only knew her nicknames instead of her actual name. Bai He and Nezha made up the “Lily and Lotus duo” next to the “Traffic Light Trio” of the others. She was always ready and willing to get the Great Sage tongue-tied with wordplay or make him fall into a joke he didn’t see coming.

To think that the Hostess of the Lady Bone Demon was such a joker... it made him happy. He was glad that they were able to save her and that he hadn’t had to do what he feared he might. She was a smart kid—young but incredibly bright—and creative to boot. She adored Sandy’s cats with all of her heart, loved helping Pigsy making noodles, listened to MK and Tang talk for hours, helped Mei and Red Son with their tech, was the key player in helping Nezha get used to things around the city, and played games with everyone. It turned out she was quite the tabletop roleplay enthusiast!

The more she hung out with MK’s friend group the more she blossomed. “Uh, Monkey King? Earth to Sun Wukong! HEY!”

“AH!” Sun Wukong yelped in surprise, blinking and finding his vision filled with two angry eyes and a whole lot of pink. “Pigsy! Hi! W-When did you—?”

“When you were lost in whatever thinking you were doing,” the chef answered as he straightened back up and walked down the rest of the few stairs he had stopped on. “So... what’s the plan? I assume you two are cooking one up already.”

The two powerful monkies looked at each other and then back at Pigsy with a simultaneous shrug.

“We’re still workshopping it,” MK said honestly. “We need to figure out where they are and, since they’re probably working with someone, we need to figure out who that is too. And then... figure out the rest of the plan?”

If the enthusiastic smile the young man gave Pigsy was reassuring in any way? The chef didn’t show it in the least.

“Please promise me you’re actually gonna come back after you leave tomorrow?”

“Aaaactually...” MK chuckled nervously, glancing at Sun Wukong for a split second. “I was thinking we should start now? I mean, the sooner we start the better for Tang right?”

“Makes sense to me!” Sun Wukong agreed. “The sooner we start on recon, the sooner we can come back and make an actual game plan.”

“Are you both sure you’re ready to head out?” Pigsy asked with a raise of his brow. “Shouldn’t you get some sleep or lunch first?”

Sun Wukong opened his mouth to protest, but he was beaten to the punch by his own stomach growling at him. “...Heh... I might have... been making myself something before MK picked me up.”

“Yeah, you’re not goin’ anywhere,” Pigsy said with a sigh and a shake of his head. “Let’s get you fed, at the very least. And set up a time limit, I don’t want either of you flyin’ around when you’re half awake!”

“Does that mean you’ll buy us coffee on the way back to the shop!?” MK asked in excitement.

“Only because Bai He asked me to pick her up some cheese tea, but Monkey King is—”

“Still banned from caffeine, I know. Geeze, you punch a hole in a wall one time...”

“And that’s the gist of it,” Pigsy said as he finished his recounting of what happened before he came back with dinner. “They flew off right before I started working the lunch rush so they’re probably still flying around as we speak.”

Tang couldn’t help but smile at this information. He knew that they would do anything to figure out what this was, of course they would, but the fact they wanted to do it immediately? That just... made him happy. To remember that everyone cared for him this much.

“You think they’re going to find the brothers in time?” Tang asked softly as he rolled the fruit back and forth in his palms. It felt odd, if he were to be honest, to not quite feel the strawberry under his fur. Like feeling it through mittens.

“Even if they don’t?” Pigsy said in return, grabbing a blueberry and popping it into his mouth. “You’ll still be you. We’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

The words made Tang pause.

Pigsy was right, when he thought about it. As long as they figured out what the curse was and made sure he wouldn’t turn into an actual rabbit after his demon transformation was done? It wouldn’t be impossible for him to get used to it all. Sure, the fur would be difficult to get used to, and his ears would take time to work around. His increased hearing would take a long time to adjust to. But... he was still him, human or rabbit demon. And besides! Maybe some of whatever new abilities he had could come in handy in day to day life. He knew the hearing would make it a lot easier to hear and corral any unruly students in his classes at the very least.

It was just... scary. Knowing he had no control or consent over the changes, that they weren’t even meant for him at all. The uncertainty of when they would stop, if they even would. And the reason...

If he was just turned immediately—poof and Bunny Him!—that would be one thing.

But why did he have to change when he thought of Pigsy? That was the worst part. Worse than even the pain of the transformations themselves. It felt like he couldn’t even be honest with himself in his own head anymore, lest he change without meaning to. He wished it was easier to be honest. To just come out and tell Pigsy how he felt. Heck, he’d met his parents! His parents liked him! Tang had nothing to worry about except the cold harsh dose of rejection he was certain he was in for. But then again..

When one denied their feelings for over a decade... could they really be surprised it was hard to admit them at all?

Tang popped the strawberry in his mouth while he thought, smiling a bit at the sweet tartness of it. It tasted... better than he expected. “These are good!” he said with a chuckle. “I was never that big on strawberries but if this change means I like them more now? I could totally live with that.”

“Heh, and here I thought I would never see the day you admit you disliked a food that wasn’t carrots,” Pigsy said with a soft chuckle and a smirk. Tang couldn’t help himself.

Just... the way he smiled. The relief he seemed to have on his face.

It just slipped out of him.

“Stop being cute like that.”

“You think I’m cute?” Pigsy asked in slow surprise, the smallest hint of an awkward smile forming on his face.

“N-NO!” Tang said without thinking, immediately regretting his knee jerk reaction and attempting to fix it. “I-I mean! You’re more... uh, h-handsome?”

A blush might have formed on the other’s face. Tang wouldn’t know. He was too distracted by the urge to sneeze that took over.

Then the sneeze, the feeling like he’d been slapped in the face, and then the sound of his glasses hitting the table.

The two stared at each other for a moment. Tang was lucky that he was nearsighted and thus still able to see Pigsy even without his glasses on. The chef stared as Tang reached up and touched his nose. His very much no longer human nose.

“Uh... Y-You... Uh...” Pigsy started slowly, gesturing to Tang’s face slowly.

“Oh, COME ON!” Tang yelled in frustration, holding his nose and squeezing it to make sure it was really a rabbit nose now. The pinch of pain confirmed it. “No, no, no, no, I wear glasses! Now how am I going to see? They were already barely staying on squashed onto my human nose! They’re definitely not going to stay on like this!”

“Tang...”

“Is every part of me going to change!?” Tang groaned out in frustration. “Is every part of me going to be different at the end of this? I can’t keep one thing? Are my eyes going to change? Do contacts work on rabbit eyes? What if my eyes get worse!?”

“Whoa, whoa, breathe Tang,” Pigsy said softly. He reached up, putting his hands on either side of his face and...

Tang froze.

It was... nice.

He had never had his face held like this by anyone before. And Pigsy’s hands were so warm, not too soft and just barely pressing against his fur.

He felt silly in that moment, for reacting as strongly as he did.

“Sorry...” Tang said softly, leaning into the touch without meaning to. “I’m...”

“Scared,” Pigsy finished for him. “I get it. But we can figure something out in the meantime. You got any of those hair clips Mei bought you for your birthday lyin’ around?”

“There,” Pigsy said with a soft chuckle. “Shake your head and see if they stay on.”

Tang frowned, slowly shaking his head from side to side to test out the solution. He could feel the hair clips pulling on his fur... but his glasses stayed mostly in place. Just to be sure, he decided to shake his head a little harder to test the limits of this solution.

Or he would have had he not immediately smacked himself in the face with his own ears and yelped in surprise. The sound of Pigsy’s laugh made him freeze before he could even react further, moving his ears out of the way to look at the other through his crooked glasses.

“We probably should have factored those in,” Pigsy chuckled. He reached up and righted Tang’s glasses again.

And then booped his nose.

Just. Reached up. Poked his nose with a finger. With the same kind of little “boop” Tang had heard Mei do before.

Pigsy was redder than Tang had ever seen him once he realized what he had just done.

“I’M SORRY, THAT WAS WEIRD!” Pigsy yelled out before he realized what he was doing, immediately grimacing and turning away as he groaned out. “I’m sorry, really, just... just forget I did that! I can’t believe I did that, so stupid, aaaaahhhhh—”

Pigsy continued to mutter to himself, embarrassed to a degree the scholar had rarely seen before. Tang was going to say it was okay, that he wasn’t bothered by it so much as he was shocked. It didn’t seem like something he would expect the chef to do! But then...

His ears picked up something just under Pigsy’s muttering. Maybe it was because he was getting used to his hearing. Maybe it was because somehow all of his neighbors were out or quiet at just the right moment. There were fewer cars on the road for him to hear through the walls.

Whatever the reason, he heard it all the same as clear as day.

"Shhh,” Tang said as he held up his hand for a moment. Without meaning to, he tilted his head, ears lifting softly as if on instinct to pick up the sound clearer.

“Uuuuuh Ta—”

“SHHHH!” Tang cut Pigsy off, tilting his head the other way. His eyes widened as he finally realized what the sound was. Smooth and rhythmic and relaxing to hear. “I... I think I can hear your... heartbeat?”

“OK, snack time is over!” MK announced as he shoved the last bite of the bun Pigsy had packed for them in his mouth. “TIME TO GO!”

“Hold on, bud,” Sun Wukong said as he wrapped his tail around MK and pulled him to stand next to him. “I have an idea.”

“Is this going to be a surprise lesson again? Right now?”

“Yes.”

“Seriously?” MK groaned in mild frustration, though the Monkey King was not in the least bothered by that. Not this time. “We need to get moving, now, I—”

“I think it’s about time you learn how to ride this thing properly,” Sun Wukong said with a smile as he moved aside and gestured to his cloud. “Can’t have you holding onto me forever, after all.”

MK looked between his mentor and his somersault cloud, mouth agape in shock. “Wait... Seriously?”

“Seriously! I’ll help you until you get the hang of it, then you’ll call the shots. It’ll be way faster than you guiding me around the city like we’ve been doing.”

“I take back my complaining. This is the third best day of my entire liiiiiiiiiife,” MK breathed, immediately falling face first onto the cloud and giggling as he sunk into it.

“What are the first two?”

“Day I met Mei and the day Pigsy taught me his noodle recipe.”

“Fair enough!” Sun Wukong said with a laugh as he helped his successor jump onto the cloud and find his balance. He joined him quickly, hands on his shoulders and tail wrapped protectively around his waist like a lifeline. Just in case. “Alright, make your movements purposeful and light, the cloud will listen to your movements. A small press with your front foot will make it go, but a huge one will make it zip fast enough to knock us off.”

“It’s kinda like riding a hoverboard!” MK laughed out as he wobbled slightly on the cloud. “A poofy, not completely flat hoverboard.”

“Never rode one of those myself so I wouldn’t know,” Sun Wukong said with a chuckle. “But if it is anything like this, the key to both is balance. Once you get that and you know how to convince it to listen to you, you’re good.”

“Wait, is your cloud sentient?”

“You know, it’s really unclear.”

The glance MK gave him was a mix of confused and concerned, but he listened intently as he was guided through the basics.

And then they were off. Soaring through the air, a little too fast at first at first but MK got the hang of it in no time. The yells of excitement as he somersaulted them through the sky made Sun Wukong almost forget why they were out and about flying.

Almost.

“Hey...” MK said almost so quietly that Sun Wukong could hardly hear him over the rushing wind around them. “Mr. Tang is going to be okay, right?”

There was a moment of quiet between them, the wind the only sound either could pick up as it rushed through their hair.

“I don’t know,” Sun Wukong said honestly. “But whatever happens, it would be without us doing our best to make sure he will be.”

#monkie kid #lego monkie kid #freenoodleshipping #ship fic #bunny tang #lmk tang #lmk pigsy #lmk mk #qi xiaotian #lmk sun wukong #lmk monkey king #fanfic

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sloth-artstudio · 2 years

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OMG! Shui Qian's return in Kaiju form warmed my heart and crying simultaneously. I have three questions regarding Macaque's father.

1- If Shui Qian was been taken by a Demon clan, why he hadn't tried to escape so he can find his family?

2- Long ago, when Macaque was still young did he ever see his father's Kaiju form and maybe played with his giant father?

3- Did perhaps the Demon Clan break Shui Qian and molded him into a tool/weapon? Because I can imagine in his broken mind when he saw Macaque after long last and start to remember his son.

1- When he was taken by the Demon clan that attacked his village, Shui Qián was rendered unconscious by the strongest among them, and by the time he woke up they put a circlet around his neck so if he tried leaving or acted out, they'd use it against him. And they made sure to put him in a place where there was no river water, so either way he couldn't escape or find out his wife and kids' fate.

2- Little Macaque saw his father's kaiji form a few times, one of which was requested by Macaque.

Lil' Macaque wanted to play with his dad and Shui Qián thought it would be a great idea to use his kaiji form for his son play on, and according to Macaque, it was a lot of fun climbing all over him, then Mei-Ying spoilered the fun.

3- Yes they did. They official broke him during the journey to the west...... when Wukong "killed" Shui Qián's beloved son; Macaque. Lanfan was nowhere to be found after the Demon clan attacked, so she was assumed dead by them and fed Shui that lie for centuries.

Hopes this helps.

#lego monkie kid #six eared macaque #lmk #lmk oc #lmk shui qian #shui qian #la24 answers

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arashikitten · 3 years

Photo

I miiiight have to remove the au part of the BlueKong Au tag soon, depending on whether or not season two decides to rip my heart out.

#monkie kid #monkie kid spoilers #monkie kid season 2 #so #that New Years special huh?#I am not ok #like I am simultaneously so excited #and absolutely terrified #like #did they see my au?#did they have this planned from the start and I just accidentally possibly predicted it?#WILL BLUEKONG BE CANON IN SEASON TWO???#POSSIBLY???#I mean that last scene between WBS and Wukong seemed to be hinting at the possibility #so like #nervousness rising #white bone spirit #sun wukong #Bluekong au

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quitealotofsodapop · 8 months

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Since Mac gas to deal with Azure's unrequited pining on Wukong, does Wukong have any unrequited love rivals of his husband he have to deal with?

Also is this live rival(s) situation happen to other Wukongs?

hehhehe

For LMK Shadowpeach:

Wukong has witnessed many a being try and romance his beloved Macaque; as monkeys of FFM (fellow primate demons), as attendants to the gods (celestials), and now as settled couple in the mortal realm (demons and humans alike). And while Mac has no interest in anyone else, Mac does love how possessive Wukong gets of him at the slightest sniff of a love rival. Mac attracts a fair bit of attention when he starts living in the human world -mostly from fellow theatre nerds and handsy fans. SWK quickly puts out any hope in his love rivals hearts when he goes to collect Mac after a play. This monkey is willing to perform public indecency to scare off any threats to his lovelife. Mac loves it >:3

For the other Wukongs; a few def have present love rivals. Two of them I'm especially willing to discuss.

For the HeroIsBack!Shadowpeach:

Since their story takes place many years before the events of JttW; SWK and his LEM encounter the still-single Nine-Headed Beast. Imagine just nine teenage dorks in the same body falling over themselves trying to impress the "beautiful shadowy warrior" that is Macaque. They aren't a very good rival though, more Milhouse than Gaston you know?

But then comes White Deer Spirit of Biqiu... who's a lot more interested in stealing Liuer (golden cicada soul looking tasty) and the Stone Egg for his alchemy than Mac, but hey he can be the honeypot when he wants to. He endears himself to the small pilgrim group as a fellow single parent (using the much younger White-Faced Vixen Spirit as his daughter like in the Jttw), and he then starts making the romantic moves on Mac. HeroIsBack!SWK is not happy.

Luckily their new spider girl gang buddies are quick to recognise a no-good manstealer when they sees one and warn the monkeys ahead of time. HeroIsBack!Macaque meanwhile is like; "Tbh I was just hungry for venison. But seeing Dasheng do that endless heart trick, and go primeval on a guy is doing something for me." <3

HeroIsBack will immedately challenge any love rivals to combat, and then take their adopted kids as his own - White-Faced Vixen (Shui Lian/睡莲 I've decided to call her) needs a stable home after all, and not a dad that would present her as a concubine to a creepy king decades older than her.

Reborn!Shadowpeach:

These two have to deal with more... mutually unwanted affections.

Reborn!SWK and his LEM meet in the buddhist-and-demon-unfriendly Cart-Slow Kingdom, both unable to leave for sometime because of "passport troubles" (ie, Tripitaka getting captured for SWK. Trying to hide a stowaway for LEM). I'll be making a whole post about how these two meet very soon. ;)

Then the three Daoist demon priests running the kingdom (Tiger-Strength, Deer-Strength, and Goat-Strength) see two beautiful, powerful monkey demons and decide that they want wives. Both Reborn Wukong and Macaque are unhappy about this - Bajie, Ao Lie, and Sandy have to organise a simultaneous monk and wedding heist.

Later on, Reborn!SWK assumes there is a love rival for Reborn!Mac and gets a little sad-but-happy for his potiential soulmate... only for the person to turn out to be a certain demon holding a debt over Mac's head >:3

Lets just say anyone who comes between a Shadowpeach pairing is doomed to failure.

#shadowpeach #lmk shadowpeach au #lego monkie kid #lmk #wukongverse #the monkey king and the infant #the monkey king and the infant au #monkey king hero is back #monkey king reborn

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lmkwritings · 2 years

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macaque suffering under the cut ;)

macaque is touch starved to the point any touch BURNS like it feels like people touching him is searing into his skin,, he CANNOT handle it,,,

his solution?? AVOID TOUCH.

mei wants a hug? get mk!!

mk wants a hug?? go ask wukong, kid.

WUKONG WANTS A HUG?? fuck off.

his tribe wants a hug? ofc bbs you can come here-

he rlly tries to avoid it until!! he’s ambushed by mk and mei!! when they come in contact with him, it’s just the best kind of agony, and his mind whites out, a gasp leaving before he collapses, simultaneously trying to keep them close and get away

fortunately, the duo pick up on the negative reaction and back off quickly. when they see how he’s reacting (read: curling up as soon as the touch is gone, gasping, trying desperately to get in air but there’s none and he can’t breathe it burns) and immediately get wukong in a panic, dragging him over, telling him what happened and they just wanted a hug they’re sorry they didnt mean for this to happen i’m so sorry-

wukong would go up to macaque and pry his hands from his arms, linking their fingers and chirping, cooing gently, tilting his head to look into his eyes, keeping they’re faces close, he would take slow, deliberate breaths, keeping eye contact.

eventually mac would calm, but he feels close to tears, and his hands and arms, chest, back, are burning and it’s hard to focus and he can’t tell if that thundering heartbeat is his or not.

#lmk mk #lego monkie kid #lmk #monkie kid #lmk drabbles #lmk shadowpeach #lmk mei #lmk au #lmk wukong #lmk sun wukong #SUFFER MACAQUE #lmk macaque #six eared macaque #lmk monkey king

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inkweaver22-blr · 3 years

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Phew! This one gave me a bit of trouble to get out! Here we have our second big reveal of the story! Let’s see what happens.

AO3 Link

Scattered Cicadas - Chapter Five: Timely Assumptions

Tang gets more than he expects at the start of one cycle. This leads to a few startling realizations.

----------

Tang looked up into the frightened expressions of the much younger Sun Wukong and Macaque as his body continued to disappear.

“I-” Being erased scared him. Would he wake up in a new cycle or simply cease to be?

Tang weakly lifted his hand, desperate to do something, grab something to ground him. Anything. Anyone!

“I don't w-want to go-”

He faded out of existence, not hearing anything else they might have said after. The last thing he saw were their horrified faces.

----------

The cave. The voices. The light.

----------

Tang woke with a gasp, his heart racing.

He had died before, but accidentally erasing yourself using a time-traveling peanut cactus was a new and terrifying experience.

The scholar took a few deep breaths, grounding himself with the fact that he was still here and hadn’t been deleted entirely. He had never been so relieved to be stuck jumping between timelines before now.

Tang winced as he remembered the anguish on the faces of the two monkeys he had befriended. He hoped his vanishing hadn’t traumatized them too much. If they were lucky they wouldn’t even remember anything now that the version of himself that had gone back in time had never existed in the first place.

God, time travel was confusing.

He glanced around his room and noticed a book on his nightstand. Picking it up, he was slightly disappointed to find it wasn’t the one on constellations he had used to teach the younger Macaque how to read.

With a sigh, Tang got up and prepared for the day. There was no point dwelling too much on what couldn’t be changed. Once dressed he stood in front of the mirror and began his little remembering ritual.

He first checked the date on his phone. It was still a few days before MK would get the staff so nothing of real consequence should be too different yet.

Taking a deep breath the scholar began reciting what he remembered about himself this time.

“I am the immortal monk Tang Sanzang-”

Tang choked as he doubled over in pain.

Hundreds of years of memories flooded through him. He collapsed to the ground and clutched at his head as it pounded in agony from the onslaught of innumerable experiences.

Tang crawled over to his bed and leaned back against it, his eyes shut tight and hands over his ears in a vain attempt to block out the rushing thoughts.

Living humbly as a monk. Being chosen by Guanyin. The journey. Sun Wukong. Bai Long Ma. Zhu Bajie. Sha Wujing. The many, many demons they encountered.

(How had he ever been so naive?)

Completing the journey. Becoming immortal. He, Bajie, and Wujing choosing to live on Earth instead of in Heaven.

(Pigsy was Zhu Bajie and Sandy was Sha Wujing!)

Wukong sealing away the Demon Bull King and vanishing. The three of them searching for him tirelessly. Never finding him. Giving up and living the next five hundred years without him.

(He should have never given up. He should have kept looking until he found his beloved disciple.)

It was all too much to handle. Tang needed time to process everything.

He called in sick to work, which with his short breath and trembling voice wasn’t questioned too closely. After sending a text to Pigsy (Zhu Bajie!) so he wouldn’t wonder about his absence at the shop, Tang pulled himself onto the bed and pressed his face into the pillows.

The headache and whirling memories prevented him from falling asleep, so he tried to focus on one thing at a time.

In this cycle he was the immortal monk Tang Sanzang, sometimes also referred to as Tripitaka.

There was still just so much to unpack in that single thought it made him a bit dizzy.

Tang had never been anyone other than himself in all the timelines he’d been in. His roles may sometimes be a bit different but he had always been Tang. He had theorized once that it had something to do with how every soul was unique so he literally couldn’t be anyone else.

His breath caught as he realized the implication that brought.

Tang’s soul was unique and thus he couldn’t be anyone other than himself in the various timelines.

In this timeline, he was the monk Sanzang.

In order for him to be both himself and the famous monk simultaneously, their souls had to be exactly the same.

That meant he wasn’t the monk in just this timeline, but in all of them, including his original time.

Oh Heavens, he was the reincarnation of Tang Sanzang.

Tang gulped in several breaths of air as his mind blanked out. He needed to focus. One thing at a time.

Pigsy was Zhu Bajie and Sandy was Sha Wujing in this timeline.

After the previous revelation, this one was much less earth-shattering.

He had always known that his group of friends mirrored the original journey’s group closely. Pigsy and Sandy also being reincarnations of their historical counterparts in his own time wasn’t much of a stretch.

Tang’s breath slowed as he began to calm. What was next?

Wukong disappeared and the trio searched for him. They never found him and gave up, assuming the monkey to be dead.

This was upsetting in an entirely different way. Tang knew Wukong was still alive thanks to the events of the original timeline, and that made the guilt of giving up even worse. He’d have to fix that.

Tang sighed in relief as his thoughts finally slowed and the pain ebbed. He still had a lot to work through, but that could wait for later. Going back to sleep sounded heavenly at the moment.

He had just started to doze off when an errant fact suddenly popped into his head.

Wasn’t Tang Sanzang already a reincarnation of one of the Buddha’s original disciples, the Golden Cicada?

With a groan Tang shoved a pillow over his head and attempted to beat back the thoughts from whatever that implied about him.

He didn’t sleep very well.

----------

“So what’s this all about Tang,” Pigsy asked grumpily as he accepted a mug of tea from Sandy. It was late at night, a few days after the release of the Demon Bull King, and the three of them were meeting privately at Sandy’s ship on the scholar’s request.

Tang took a sip from his own mug as he studied the two other immortals. Had it not been for his own memories on the matter, he would have never guessed that they were two of the five companions of the legendary Journey to the West.

Zhu Bajie had been, no pun intended, pigheaded, crass, and ornery. He seemed to be contrarian whenever he felt like it and relished in trying to get one over on Sun Wukong. Tang couldn’t deny the pig demon’s ability to rise to the occasion when the chips were down however. For as much trouble Zhu Bajie seemed to cause, he’d been invaluable a fair number of times as well.

Sha Wujing lived to fight. His rage and battle-lust had definitely caused their own share of problems. Other than that, the large river demon tended to be the quiet one of the group and didn’t open up until the latter half of their journey.

Tang wasn’t blind to his own faults though.

Tripitaka, (after some meditation, Tang had decided to refer to his past self as such to avoid confusion with the name Tang Sanzang), had not been ready for such a perilous adventure. He had been too trusting of strangers, too proud to believe Wukong’s warnings. It was his own incredible naivety and insistence that he knew better that had led to the vast majority of the dangers they had found themselves in.

It was hard to reconcile who the three of them had been with who they were today, but Tang supposed five hundred years would change most people.

Pigsy still had a gruff exterior, but his desire to start trouble had long since faded. His discovery of a love for cooking had unlocked a surprising work ethic within the pig demon as well as a silent form of affection that he treated any he cared for with.

Sandy had sought out a therapist and took anger management classes. His love for battle long since extinguished, the river demon now spent his time taking care of his cats, making tea, and being supportive of his friends.

Tang was certainly not naive to the ways of the world any longer. He still did his best to treat any strangers he met with kindness and respect, but he never fully believed anyone new to be trustworthy until they showed themselves to be. He always listened to the advice of his friends as well, knowing that he didn’t know everything and those around him might have insights he did not.

Tang placed his mug down and steepled his fingers together.

“We need to tell MK, Mei, and Wukong who we really are.”

“What?!” Pigsy's angry reaction hadn’t been unexpected. They had made an agreement some time back to not reveal themselves to anyone. It was less to do with having to deal with annoying fans and more with avoiding the painful memories their identities brought with them.

If it wasn’t for the fact he had been hopping through timelines and saw first hand how hiding things from people hurt them, Tang was certain he wouldn’t have been making this decision.

“I said we-”

“I heard what you said,” Pigsy interrupted. “No way! Nuh-uh! Not happening!”

“Now hold on brother,” Sandy soothed, placing a comforting hand on the chef’s shoulder. “Let’s hear him out first.”

“This better be good,” Pigsy grumbled and slouched back into his chair.

“Which do you think will go over better? Us being honest with them about our pasts, or them discovering the truth on their own?”

“They won’t find out if we’re careful about it,” Pigsy countered.

“They will find out,” Tang stated with absolute certainty. “Whether it’s the kids putting the pieces together themselves or Wukong recognizing us, there is no doubt that this isn’t going to stay a secret for long.”

Sandy seemed thoughtful but the pig demon simply huffed and crossed his arms stubbornly.

Tang stared directly into Pigsy’s defiant eyes. Looks like he’d have to pull out the big guns.

“How do you think MK will react once he finds out that we, that you, have been keeping something this important from him?”

With a sharp intake of air Pigsy froze, his expression changing from defiance to horror. He leaned over, placing his face in his hands and groaned.

“Oh god. He’d- he’d feel like I didn’t trust him. Like I didn’t care about him enough to tell him.” The chef seemed miserable at the thought as he looked up. “Okay, we can tell the kid. Mei too, I guess.”

Tang shared a glance with Sandy. Neither had missed the exclusion of Wukong from Pigsy’s concession.

(When did he stop being the Monkey King to Tang?)

“So, uh, will we tell big brother before or after we tell MK and Mei,” Sandy asked, eyeing the pig demon warily.

Like a switch had been flipped, Pigsy’s anger returned in full force, his face twisting into a hateful scowl.

“We ain’t telling that bastard nothing,” he snarled.

“Pigsy,” Tang scolded, shocked at the amount of venom in his voice.

“No! He doesn't deserve it! Not after letting us think he was dead-” Pigsy’s voice broke slightly as he continued his rant. “Not after avoiding us for five hundred years!”

Tang took a steadying breath and pushed down the irrational emotions and hurt that wanted to agree with Pigsy’s stance. He needed to be calm if he was to convince one of his oldest friends to go through with this.

“Assumptions, my dear friend, are very dangerous things,” Tang said.

“Huh?” Pigsy looked confused at the seeming change in subject. Good, that meant he was paying attention.

“We never found Wukong after he disappeared, so we assumed he was dead. We continued to assume such for five hundred years,” Tang began, speaking clearly and with emphasis to be sure he was understood. “We now know our assumptions were wrong. Now you are falling back into the same mistake.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“You are assuming that Wukong knew we were looking for him. You are assuming he hid from us intentionally. You are assuming that he knows we’re still alive.”

“Wait, what,” Sandy exclaimed. He had seemed to be following along with the conversation up until that point and now looked alarmed.

“How do we know Wukong didn’t fall into the same trap we have,” Tang explained. “That he didn’t just assume we were gone, either through death or reincarnation? With that assumption in mind, why would he ever think to go looking for us?”

There was a tense silence as Tang let his point sink in before finishing his argument.

“We can no longer assume things. That only leads to misunderstanding and hurt feelings. If we are to learn the truth we must actively look for it. To do that we must be honest with Wukong.”

Pigsy stared at him for a few moments before sagging and plopping down into his chair.

“I’m not drunk enough for this.”

Tang breathed a sigh of relief as Sandy chided their friend about drowning your feelings in alcohol. That was the first hurdle down.

Now for the hard part.

----------

In the end they decided to tell all three of them at the same time. Just to rip the whole band-aid off in one go so to speak.

It hadn't been too hard to convince MK to get Wukong to invite them to his island. He hadn’t welcomed them into his sanctum however, so they had a picnic on the shore near the waterfall curtain instead.

The food had been quickly forgotten once they began their explanation.

MK was upset at first at having the truth withheld from him, but some heartfelt reassurances and a teary hug from Pigsy had earned them his forgiveness. He bounced back rather quickly and immediately began launching questions excitedly at the trio.

Mei had simply accepted the revelation with great enthusiasm. She had pulled her phone and began live streaming a “Q&A WITH THE JOURNEY TO THE WEST CREW!!!”. So much for anonymity.

Tang gave an amused chuckle as the young adults pestered Pigsy and Sandy as he glanced at the uncharacteristically silent Wukong.

The Monkey King could have been carved from stone with how still he was, his expression frighteningly blank.

“Wukong?” Tang swallowed nervously as his first disciple turned to him with that empty look. “Do you want to say something?”

That had apparently been the wrong thing to ask.

“Do I want to say something? Do I want to say something?!” The empty stillness was immediately replaced with restless agitation as Wukong leapt to his feet and began to pace back and forth angrily. “Oh there are a lot of somethings I want to say to you three!”

“Hey Mei? Stop streaming for a bit,” MK said quietly as he pulled her a little ways away from the group. Tang would have been extremely proud of the emotional maturity the kid was showing, but he currently had a very pissed off monkey taking up most of his attention.

“How could you do this to me?! How could you even think of leaving me to be alone for five hundred years,” Wukong shouted at them, confusion and anger and hurt pouring from every word.

“Big brother, we-” Sandy tried.

“Don’t you ‘Big Brother’ me, Sha Wujing!” The way he spat out the name like a curse made the river demon flinch. “You all abandoned me! I thought I was never going to see any of you again! Yet here you all are!” Wukong clenched his fists as he glared at the three immortals. “WHERE WERE YOU?!”

“Where were we? Where were you,” Pigsy threw the question right back angrily. “We looked for you! For a century we searched! That’s more than what you can say!”

“And then when you got tired of it you gave up! You gave up on me!”

“WE THOUGHT YOU WERE DEAD!”

“I MIGHT AS WELL HAVE BEEN!”

The anger bled out from the air at that confession and Wukong seemed to crumble into himself. Pigsy looked stunned, Sandy was nervously wringing his hands, and Tang’s stomach was twisting itself into a painful knot.

“I was alone, Bajie. My brothers were gone and I was left by myself,” Wukong trembled as he hugged himself. Tang had never seen the proud warrior look so small before. “For centuries I had nothing but my memories and grief. Sometimes I wanted to be dead. Maybe then I’d see you again.” Wukong fell to his knees as he looked up at them with tears running down his face. “I missed you all so much.”

Tang felt his own tears falling as he rushed over to embrace Wukong who began to openly sob. Sandy and Pigsy soon joined in and the four of them simply held each other as they let their pain free.

“We’re so, so sorry Wukong,” Tang said. “I promise you we would have never hurt you like this intentionally.”

“I- I know,” Wukong hiccuped, clutching to the three of them tightly.

“We won’t ever leave you alone again big brother,” Sandy vowed.

“We’re stuck with each other from now on, no matter how much we may get on each other's nerves.” Pigsy’s joke earned a choked laugh from Wukong.

Two more pairs of arms entered into their group hug as MK and Mei joined them on the ground.

“Please don’t be sad Monkey King,” MK said. “You have Mei and I now too. You aren’t alone anymore.”

Wukong just began to cry a little harder and held on a bit tighter at that.

The six of them stayed like that for some time, holding each other up in silent support and comfort.

As they sat there, Tang was a little overwhelmed by how right it felt to be holding onto the others. Love burned in his chest as he enjoyed the warmth of being this close to his family.

Oh.

They were his family, weren’t they?

That wasn’t just another assumption. These five, across any timeline, were family to him, and he would always care for them as such.

Any lingering doubts about being Tripitaka melted away. It didn’t really matter who he was or had been in the past. All that mattered was the real love he felt for these people that were precious to him.

As long as he had that, he could overcome anything else that came his way.

----------

You didn’t think I would write a Tang-centric fic and NOT have him be Tripitaka did you? It was inevitable honestly.

I'm not sure if I characterized Sha Wujing correctly here, but Sandy canonically went to anger management so I made some (hehe) assumptions.

Speaking of! Count how many assumptions are made in this chapter! There might be more than you think~

The story referenced in this chapter is Tang’s Time Adventure by Poddlebud. It’s a fun little romp with a unique ship. It’s a shame we didn’t get to see the conclusion played out here…

Until next time!

#Ink Writes #Monkie Kid #Scattered Cicadas #Tang #Tang Monkie KId #Tang Sanzang #Tripitaka #Pigsy #Zhu Bajie #Sandy #Sha Wujing #Sun Wukong #MK #Mei #Macaque #LEGO Monkie Kid

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zwei-the-penguin-with-a-pen · 6 years

Text

‘All To Myself’

"Come on, Blakey! I just want to see you guys practice!!" Yang complained as she reached into the fridge for a sports drink. Smile Bomb was having a practice session today, and Yang loved to hear her favorite girl's band play.

"I still haven't asked the band if you are allowed at practices. I'm sure no one would mind but Sun. Neptune has a thing for muscular blonds, and we wouldn't want the Monkey King to get jealous." Blake replied, rolling her eyes at her own joke.

"He likes muscular blond boys, though, so why would Sun get jealous of me?"

"Honestly? Because you have better abs than he does!" Blake giggled. It was Yang's turn to roll her eyes.

"Is that really my fault? I'm not gonna steal his squish or anything! I've got a diamond, what do I want with a sapphire?" Yang smirked and winked at Blake, who was not expecting a response so smooth. Gods, her new girlfriend sure knew how to surprise her.

The few months since that outdoor concert in Vale seemed like seconds and ages simultaneously. She could not believe that some random fan hitting on her had become her girlfriend. Then again, Topaz had seen the spark as soon as the two of them walked into his coffeehouse. That guy was usually right about things of that nature.

"I'll call them and ask if it's okay Honeypot." Blake finally conceded. "You'd better not distract me, though."

"I wouldn't dream of it, Glucose!" Yang grinned as she flexed her right arm. Blake's eyes turned to hearts at that. Blake rolled her eyes once she came to her senses and left the room to make her phone call.

Yang tapped away at her Scroll, playing a game to pass the time. One of Smile Bomb's tunes, 'Who Do You Love' began playing on their small radio, and Yang danced and swayed in her seat. It wasn't her most favorite, but it definitely jammed.

Blake reappeared, shoving her Scroll in her pocket. "Everyone seems okay with you hanging out. Just try not to show Sun too many muscles. He's a bit of a diva."

"Not as much as Scarlet."

"Is anyone as big a diva as Scarlet?" They shared a laugh as they walked out the door. They hopped into Blake's car and drove off.

\/\/\/\/\/

"Ooh, we have an audience for today!" Scarlet raved as Blake and Yang walked into his living room. The tattooed boy with the blazing red hair hugged Yang tightly. He loved Blake's girlfriend almost as much as Blake did, just in a vastly different fashion.

"Guys, I think there are too many women in here. We're gonna be outnumbered if this keeps up." Sage joked, his thick baritone echoing in the mostly empty room. They were still setting up, so most of the gear was sprawled around the area. The gigantic green-haired boy walked up and hugged Yang tightly.

"Ow! Sage, you're crushing my life! Ease up, my dude!" Yang joked, purposely straining her voice. Sage chuckled and rolled his eyes. "But really, do you ever stop working out? You have more muscles than Toguro!"

"I aspire to have a body like Toguro! Except for the stretchy demon muscles, of course! WAIT! You know about anime?" Sage was taken aback.

"I used to watch brawlers with my kid sister, and Yu Yu Hakusho was our favorite until Gurren Lagann gave her an affection for mecha. Why do you think I fell in love with your band?"

"I figured it was because we were all sexy as hell!" He fired back, Yang rolling her eyes.

"I mean, of course, you are all fine, but I only have eyes for Blake!" She replied.

"Aww, that's so cute it's stupid!" Neptune mentioned as he walked in from the next room. "Sun should be out in a minute. I think he was using the bathroom."

"You know exactly what he was doing in the bathroom..." Sage injected. Blake laughed and Scarlet glowered at Neptune.

"I hope you cleaned up after yourselves!" The redhead complained. Neptune crossed his arms.

"Why do you just assume we were up to no good?" The blue-haired boy retorted. Yang could hardly take these boys' shenanigans.

"You're either up to no good or good-good when you're alone together, and both of those mean the same thing, Poseidon." Blake shot off as she tuned her guitar, strumming a sour chord for good measure. Scarlet and Sage burst out laughing. A sweat drop appeared on the back of Neptune's head.

He knew there was no winning this argument.

"You all are just mad because we're so in love!"

"I'm plenty in love with Sage, but I try to keep my Cutlass to myself when we aren't at home in bed! As much as I love the Greatsword, I don't want to disrespect someone's house!" Scarlet replied, another round of laughter filling the practice room.

"Hey, we can't control when his Staff or my Trident call out to one another!" Neptune tried to keep a straight face, failing when Blake made a face at him. She loved her bandmates, she truly did, but they were a neverending fountain of crotch humor.

"It's a pain in the neck being surrounded by four horny dudes all the time. Must be the reason I love ladies..." She mused. Yang grinned at the remark. Neptune grabbed his bass guitar and slapped its strings. Sun finally appeared and hooked the microphones into his drums. And finally, their practice began.

A few songs in, Blake sang lead on a new song the five of them had been working on, 'This Means War'. Yang's eyes turned to stars at the sultry sounds of Blake's beautiful singing. The way her upper ears twitched as she sang drove Yang wild. Was this woman a goddess?

Gods, Yang was so lucky.

"Of course you realize, THIS MEANS WAR!" Blake sang, the finishing line of her part. The boys sang a chant to finish the song out. Yang clapped raucously for her favorite girl and her favorite band.

"Break time! The Monkey King needs a quick snack!" Sun announced, setting his sticks down atop one of his floor toms.

"Your snack better not be the Ocean, Wukong." Scarlet snapped, Sun rolling his eyes.

"We took care of that earlier. Gods, we're not that horny!" Sun saw Blake roll her eyes at him, but he decided against making another comment since his growling stomach would not let him think of one.

Blake sat on the couch next to Yang, tossing one arm around her. Yang snuggled into her gorgeous girlfriend.

"I'm sorry about all the junk jokes, babe," Blake apologized. She'd gotten used to it and forgotten how awful they could be.

"It's fine, Bee Vomit. I mean, if I had a dongle I'd name it something cool, too! The Golden Dragon, probably." Yang joked, causing Blake to giggle.

"You're so silly, Glucose!" Blake snuggled closer to Yang. "I love you, Goldie!"

Yang's heart skipped a beat or two at that. "I love you too, Kitty Cat." She replied, lifting her head up to kiss Blake. The soft kiss turned into another one, and suddenly they were making out on Scarlet's couch. Blake pulled away.

"Perhaps we shouldn't disrespect Scarlet's couch." She suggested. Yang nodded, and the two returned to their cuddles.

"I appreciate you not defiling my couch, especially since my bathroom has already been sullied today," The redhead commended, winking at the girlfriends. "Also, Sun has sufficiently stuffed his face, so what say we get back to practice?" With that, Blake hopped off the couch and scooped up her guitar. The band played the song they were named for, one of Yang's all-time favorites. Then they went into 'All to Myself', her absolute favorite of theirs.

Yang was thrilled to bits. She was glad the guys didn't mind having her around. Maybe she could get backstage at their concerts now. That would be super fun. \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/ \/\/\/\/\/

Day 4: Team SSSN Member

I had a load of fun on my last challenge writing about the band Smile Bomb, so I figured I’d write more of their shenanigans. It also gives me an excuse to write three of my favorite ships at one time, not to mention make Team SSSN make a bunch of crotch jokes.

This fic ties into ‘Feeling’ and ‘Still Alive’ from my last challenge. ‘Smile Bomb’ would also be a great name for this, but I used that name for another fic that has nothing to do with these ones. Plus i ran out of fitting BigBang songs.

Bumbleby always seems to work their way into this day of the challenge. At least, the last two times. XD

Oh, and since June is Pride Month, HAPPY PRIDE MONTH EVERYONE! I will try to write as much gay stuff as I can. I usually do so anyway, but I’ll try a bit harder this time I guess.

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