#11 was answered previously so skiiiiipping

[sunluzhen]

meme waters rising 1, 3, 6 (stress-relief method), 7, 11, 17, 22, 24, 38, 42

What’s the lie your character says most often?

Any variation of "I'm okay! / It's fine / Everything's good!" It's instinctual at this point. Beyond that, he's actually not that much of a liar? He's awful at lying unless it's about how he's doing/feeling.

3. How often do they show their genuine emotions to others versus just the audience knowing?

He's not exactly the best at hiding how he's feeling, when he's especially stressed or upset it's easy for others to pick up on, but getting him to actually talk is another task altogether; he's too often extremely avoidant when it comes to himself. He just... really doesn't want to bother the people he cares about. Some of the things that go on inside his head he really doesn't want them to know about, also.

6. What’s their favorite [stress-relief method] that they’ve never recommended to anyone before?

Whether or not this is actually a favorite method is debatable, but he's definitely not going to suggest anyone else do it. It's not exactly safe to walk around the city streets at night without your phone by yourself, Monkie Kid powers or no. These late night walks often end with MK dunking his head in the nearest body of ice cold water. (Sometimes he falls in all the way and has to scramble out somehow before he sinks.) Definitely not advisable.

7. What would you (mun) yell in the middle of a crowd to find them? What would their best friend and/or romantic partner yell?

lmao. okay. I think Mei and I would yell out the same thing to get a reaction from MK: "MONKEY KING SUCKS!" or "OMG! COME CHECK OUT THIS NEW MONKEY KING / JTTW-RELATED MERCH!" Depends on the mood. Both would definitely have him jumping up like "WHAT! WHERE?" with the former option earning an extra "WHO SAID THAT! IMMA THROW THESE HANDS!"

17. What do they notice first in the mirror versus what most people first notice looking at them?

Xiaotian sees a face in the mirror that belongs to them. They know it's them. But they struggle to really recognize it as themself, especially lately. There's a very faint scar, running diagonally across part of their face. It reminds them of cracked stone, which is... probably where it came from, actually. She did drop them on their head, didn't she? Then there's the patches of fur on his neck and arms that look like they didn't grow in right, over burn marks that somehow healed even though by all means they shouldn't have. Sometimes, if they squint and look really hard, they can see a few strands of white hair.

Others look at Xiaotian, and besides the obvious monkey features, they see a sweet, young face. One that's rather open and perhaps a little too earnest and trusting. The endearing little chipped fang when they smile a little too wide and show off their teeth. That messy mop of hair on top of their head. The signature red headband they always wear.

22. What simple activity that most people do / can do scares your character?

Vacuum cleaners are evil and should not be trusted. He'll stick to sweeping and mopping the old fashioned way.

24. Did they take a cookie from the cookie jar? What kind of cookie was it?

Oh, absolutely. Those almond cookies are ALL his. His!

38. What hobby are they good at in private, but bad at in front of others? Why?

Singing. They actually have a decent voice! But it's way more fun to sing badly along to karaoke songs with friends.

42. If invited to a TED Talk, what topic would they present on? What would the title of their presentation be?

Joke Answer?: "HELLO and welcome to my TED talk, FAKE IT 'TIL YOU MAKE IT! Monkie Kid's Guide to Prolonging the Next Mental Breakdown for As Long As Physically possible-- I MEAN I'll be talking about how to keep your spirits high while things are extremely stressful and chaotic: by lying to yourself until, eventually, it comes true!"

Real Answer: The former idea would get him immediately removed from the stage, BUT he's much more likely to use a TED talk as an opportunity to infodump about the JTTW novel, various adaptations, and miscellaneous Monkey King trivia, which is also not what TED talks are supposed to be for I think, but...

#monkey business | musings #11 was answered previously so skiiiiipping