lucagray813

[lucagray813]

Tales from the Shadows - Chapter 5

Title: Inheritance

Rating: T

Word Count: 1,211

Characters: DBK, Macaque, Mentioned PIF, Mentioned Red Son

Summary: Niú wonders why his son hasn't come for his title and his crown, Macaque provides some insight.

Additional Tags: DBK is called Niú, PIF is called Gōngzhǔ

CW: Mentions of period typical physical and sexual violence

Link to AO3 Version

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----

It was with some consternation that Niú considered his father's head, still proudly mounted in his trophy room over a millennium after he'd torn it from his neck.

The title of Demon Bull King was one earned by overthrowing, and usually killing, the previous titleholder, and with little exception it was normally a son forcibly taking it from his father. There were rare times a daughter or a grandchild had taken up the mantle instead but generally it was a bloody race between sons.

Niú had but one child, the Samadhi Fire leaving his beloved unable to provide him with any more, and he could not understand why his only son had not yet tried to claim his birth right.

He had been nearly half his age when he had rightly taken what was his!

So, with a sixth sense for when the shadows were listening, he asked, "Why has my head not joined my father's on this wall?"

Emerging from the shadows behind him, Macaque responded, "Probably because you wouldn't shut up about it if it did. Immortal beings do make for such terrible wall mounts."

He huffed in amusement, entertained by the image of his furious head forbidding anyone from knowing peace again, but admittedly his immortality was a factor he'd failed to consider, "So the boy must find a way to render me mortal first?"

That would explain why it was taking so long.

Macaque hummed, "I somehow doubt that's why he's neglecting his filial duty to murder you - there really just isn't the motivation for him to off you. There's plenty of other ways for a young demon to make their mark on the world these days - no patricide required."

That was certainly true, and his son had made quite the name for himself as an engineer both inside and outside their territory. And a not so insignificant proportion of the wealth they generated from exports could be attributed to machines and machine parts designed and manufactured by the boy. But it was all sold with the Demon Bull King's sigil attached.

He scratched at his chin thoughtfully, "He seems more concerned with bolstering the reputation of the family name rather than his own. Is it a tactical consideration? Will he come for me once he's done all he can from his current position?"

Macaque seemed bemused, "His current position provides him with the freedom to pursue whatever projects he wishes. All becoming king will do is give him less time to work in his lab and force him to engage in more diplomacy than he already has to, which is hardly playing to his strengths."

His ear flickered in irritation at this very mention of the word "diplomacy". Before his imprisonment, "diplomacy" had been the flippant way to refer to threatening your allies into submission and baiting your enemies into war, or vice versa.

He had once intimidated with promises of violence, and never failed to follow through, sometimes even when his enemies had already capitulated.

And now, it involved tedious treatises and trade deals, networking and currying favour - an art Gōngzhǔ was far more skilled in than him.

Truly, if it weren't for his beloved he wouldn't have had the stomach for it but she had brought him around to its merits. If nothing else, he had the pleasure of witnessing and supporting her cutthroat endeavours and he never tired of working seamlessly with her to, metaphorically, crush their enemies.

But without his own skilled consort, he could appreciate why it would be entirely unappealing to Red Son.

He huffed in acknowledgement but still he argued, "He is my son. It's in his blood to crave power. His pride demands he take it from me."

Macaque made himself comfortable lounging on one of the extravagant chairs near by as he pointed out, "Ah, but he's not just your son, is he? And few things are of as much importance to a Celestial than filial duty."

He took his own seat as he considered this information.

It was a true statement but while Red Son's Celestial genetics could be a factor, it was more likely Gōngzhǔ's influence that had limited his desire for his father's title. Unexpectedly, he found himself comparing her relationship with Red Son to his mother's relationship with him.

Red Son had been the product of love, whereas he has been a product of conquest and his mother had detested his father with every ounce of her being.

Taken from her home and forced to bear a child when she was barely more than a child herself, she had filled his head with visions of violence, his bedtime stories had been spectacularly bloody visions of his triumph over his father and she had stoked his hatred and hunger for his power at every given opportunity.

She hadn't lived to see it but when the time came he had honoured her wishes to make his death as bloody and painful as possible.

In contrast, Gōngzhǔ had instilled within Red Son the idea that nothing was of more importance than freeing his father from his imprisonment, that only by doing so would the world be theirs, and she would no doubt have punished him severely if he had ever breathed a word of inheriting his dues in the traditional manner of their clan.

It was little wonder that Red Son had expressed no desire to kill him, if not because he'd been raised to revere him then because his mother would likely kill him for trying.

He explained as much to Macaque, getting unusually caught up in sentimental details about his mother before getting to the point.

Macaque offered no judgement on his irrelevant ramblings, only commenting, "Sounds like you have your answer then - zero incentive and filial duty ruthlessly instilled from a young age."

He nodded, "So it would seem. So, you don't believe he will ever stake his claim?"

Macaque laughed, "You've not even been free a decade yet and he's waited centuries for the opportunity to meet you - I think you've got time before he ever seriously considers it."

He considered Macaque carefully for a moment before asking, "And if he were to consider it - who would you stand with?"

Macaque grinned, "Now, now, what kind of question is that to ask of your most trusted advisor?"

He huffed, "Don't play your games."

Macaque shrugged candidly, "Only time will tell. I'm not making a call now for something that might happen centuries down the line. Who knows you might even be keen to retire by then or perhaps Red Son will have struck out on his own and this whole thing will be moot."

"Hm."

He didn't care to try and fruitlessly weigh up Macaque's loyalties right now but he knew that he was all but guaranteed defeat the day Macaque threw this lot behind Red Son because he wouldn't do so unless he was confident his son would be victorious.

For now, he would take him at his word that Red Son had little interest in staging a coup, the evidence was too compelling to believe otherwise and if he was honest, he thought he'd rather make the most of this time to be the father that his father never was.

--Chapter End--

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LMK Fanfic Masterlist

[lucagray813]

Flash Fire

Rating: T

Word Count: 3,804

Characters: MK, Red Son

Relationships: MK/Red Son

Summary: The difference in their lifespans had always stopped them truly committing to one another but that all changes tonight.

Additional Tags: Shadow AU, Post-Season 3, Making Out, Brief Mentions of Other Characters

Note: Explicit version available on AO3

CW: Implied Sex

Link to AO3 Version (Explicit)

----

There were a lot of things that MK and Red Son didn't talk about.

They didn't talk about their uneven longevity. They didn't talk about their feelings for one another. And they most certainly didn't talk about the kiss they'd shared when they had thought the world was going to end.

So what if that kiss had haunted MK every day for the last two years? And so what if the longing had developed into a physical pain in his chest? It was still more bearable than the heartache that awaited both of them if either of them dared to give into the desire for more.

They had known each for eight years, eight frankly unbelievable years, but while he had aged in that time, Red Son hadn't.

He'd done the maths and, if he was right, Red Son aged at about a twentieth of the rate that he did. Right now, Red Son was roughly the demon equivalent of twenty-five years old and it would take up to sixty years for him to reach MK's current age of twenty-eight. So, he wasn't being dramatic when he said that he could be dead of old age before Red Son was even thirty.

It was a truth they had both acknowledged even if it had never been spoken out loud. Their time together was limited. No matter what the nature of their relationship was.

It was a fact that caused him endless grief when applied to their friendship. But he'd always told himself that pain would be so much worse if they were ever actually to be together romantically.

And yet, recently he couldn't convince his heart that they should spare themselves that heartache and it had all started with Yúnduān.

Yúnduān was demon of similar age and longevity to Red Son and the two had hit it off when they'd met at science convention not too long ago.

A science convention that Macaque and Bǎi Hé had apparently tricked him into attending for the very purpose of helping him find him some better friends to replace the ones he already had.

He scowled at himself. No, that was Mei talking. They weren't being replaced, especially not with anyone "better". Red Son should be encouraged to make more friends and it made total sense for him to seek out people that were as long-lived as he was. It was a good thing he'd met Yúnduān, he was happy that Red Son had met her! He was!

Yúnduān was lovely! He enjoyed hanging out with her too! She made a great addition to their friend group!

But...

As much as it pained him to admit it, he'd be lying if he said her presence didn't make the invisible timer above he and Red Son's heads tick ever louder in his ears.

And worse his jealous heart burned at the thought that she could have something with Red Son that he had long denied himself. And as if he wasn't ashamed enough of feeling jealous in the first place - he wasn't even sure the two even liked each other like that! Were there actually lingering looks and touches or was he seeing things that weren't there?

He didn't know which was worse.

He tried to bury such thoughts and feelings as deep as he could - determined not to ruin however much time he had left as Red Son's friend by wasting it on something so petty.

Unlike Mei who refused to talk to Red Son if Yúnduān was so much as mentioned around her.

MK had had some spectacular arguments with her about it recently - angry that she was making things awkward and hurting Red Son, and Yúnduān, when they had done literally nothing wrong! Red Son had never ditched them to spend time with Yúnduān and he didn't show her any preferential treatment. In fact, he was still bending over backwards to try and appease Mei!

And it just added insult to injury that she still refused to acknowledge her own feelings for Red Son!

She was being totally unreasonable and he could only hope she came to her senses before she irreparably damaged her friendship with Red Son, if she hadn't already.

Personally, he was determined to appreciate every moment that he and Red Son spent together from now, whether that be alone or with friends or family.

Even if it made his heart burn with longing.

----

It wasn't often that MK found himself having an impromptu picnic under the stars but when he and Red Son had emerged from the underground city they had spent all day exploring, they had both been completely enamoured by the night sky that had greeted them.

It had been him that had suggested that they find somewhere to kick back and enjoy the view after a hard days work but it had been Red Son that had then summoned them a small feast and a bottle of wine so they stay there as long as they pleased.

They'd had the occasional companionable silence where they had both just sat and gazed with wonder at the sky above them but for the most part idle chatter flowed between them easily as they recounted their day and discussed upcoming plans for later that week.

It was during another quiet moment of stargazing that his eyes were finally drawn away to admire Red Son sitting beside him.

Back when they had first met, Red Son had hidden most of his demonic features behind a glamour, choosing to appear more like his mother than his father. He'd never really gotten a satisfactory answer for why he'd done that but in the years since the Demon Bull King had been released, Red Son had slowly but surely embraced his demonic heritage.

His horns were almost always on display, his tail was allowed out as long as he wasn't in a situation where the treacherous appendage could embarrass him and his wider nose, cow shaped ears, thick body hair and other subtle changes were visible around those he felt most comfortable with.

His full glamour aligned him more closely to Heaven's beauty standards, and he had even on occasion incorporated an ethereal glow, paler skin, a leaner frame and other "desirable" features according to Heaven but as far as MK was concerned he never looked better than when he just let himself be who he really was.

He and Mei had agreed that he'd inherited the very best physical features that both of his parents had to offer and that it was criminally unfair that he also had a gorgeous head of hair made out of literal fire to top it off.

Right now, only the very tip of his pony tail was revealing it's fiery nature as it flickered gently. And as he watched it, he was suddenly struck with a question he couldn't believe he'd never thought to ask before.

"Does all your body hair go on fire?"

It was a testament to their long friendship that all Red Son did was snort and reply, "My whole body can become fire, obviously that includes all of my body hair."

He rolled his eyes as he reached over and attempted to snatch Red Son's hair tie as he complained, "You know that's not what I meant! Is it all like the hair on your head?"

Red Son ducked and swatted his hand away before countering, "Is all your body hair like the hair on your head?"

He grinned as he had another go for the hair tie, "You're dodging the question! None of my hair goes on fire when I'm embarrassed! Admit it, you have to wear fire proof clothing to stop your chest hair leaving you topless!"

A little more of the ends of Red Son's hair came alive with fire as he continued to fight off the hands invading his personal space, smiling despite himself, he responded, "I redirect you to my point that literally my entire body can become fire. Of course, my clothes are fire proof!"

Properly on the offensive now, he'd gotten up on his knees to take the fight to Red Son, "OK, you're totally hiding something about the body hair! Tell me your embarrassing secrets!"

Red Son didn't back down as he valiantly defended his right to have his hair remain ponytailed, "I'm hiding nothing! I am simply not obligated to answer any and every inane or invasive question you can think to ask me!"

He tackled him in mock outrage, "Uh, yes you are! That was explicitly detailed in the "Best Friends" contract that you signed, of your own free will, over half a decade ago!"

Red Son laughed as he grappled with him on the ground, "That pathetic excuse for a piece of paper couldn't have been less legally sound even if you had written it in crayon! Would you like me to fetch my copy and explain to you again why it's complete nonsense?"

He paused and blinked down at Red Son before asking genuinely, "You kept your copy?"

Red Son's face flushed and his hair burned brightly as he rushed to defend himself, "Of-of course, I did! Farcical or not, I keep meticulous records of everything I've signed! What if you-"

Taking full advantage of Red Son's flustered embarrassment, he finally snagged his hair tie with a small burst of magically enhanced speed and took a great deal of satisfaction in seeing his hair cascade over the earth as he lorded over his victory, "Ha! Got you! That's twenty-four to twenty-three, Red! Better step up your game unless you want to lose our bet!"

It was a silly little game they were playing - the aim of which was to be first to snag the other's hair accessory thirty times - but he was enjoying it immensely so far even if on occasion they both suffered from the other accidentally pulling on their hair.

Red Son crossed his arms and looked away from him as he grumbled.

MK's jubilant grin faded into something much more affectionate as he sat down on Red Son and asked, "You really still have that contract?"

Red Son spared him a glance before he tsked, "I just never got round to throwing it away."

It was such an obvious and endearing lie and he couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled out of him and after huffing Red Son cracked a grin too until eventually he was chuckling too - MK's laughter proving too contagious to resist - his arms uncrossing and his hands naturally coming to rest on MK's thighs.

His position straddling Red Son's hips only vaguely registered as he calmed down, too busy basking in the painfully fond smile Red Son was wearing as he looked up at him.

His own smile started to fade as he truly took in Red Son lying beneath him - unglamoured, hair unbounded, with eyes shining with adoration...

There was no force on earth that could have stopped him from kissing him in that moment.

It lasted for only a second, Red Son's surprised gasp and the surge of heat from his hair immediately bringing him back to his senses, and as he pulled back he scrambled to save the situation, "Shit. Sorry. I didn't mean to- I just- You-"

His panicked rambling was cut off as two hands grasped the sides of his face and pulled him back down for a kiss that was literally searing in its intensity.

He distantly thanked his magic for automatically protecting him from harm and buried his hands in Red Son's hair as he responded to Red Son's desperation with his own. They couldn't seem to get close enough as they exchanged increasingly heated kisses and feeling Red Son's rapid heart beat against his own only spurred him on to touch as much of Red Son as he could reach without breaking their connection.

In contrast, Red Son held him tightly - one hand in his hair, one on his back and with his tail wrapped around his thigh - apparently determined to keep him firmly where he was.

As if he'd ever want to be anywhere else.

Miraculously, Red Son some how managed to call his name but all he could do was hum distractedly as he single mindedly tried to coax him back into kissing him with equal fervour. A breathy laugh followed by his hair inexplicably falling in his eyes however finally had him pulling back for long enough for Red Son to grin and hold up his headband, "Twenty-four to Twenty-four."

Panting slightly, he stared uncomprehendingly for a moment at the piece of cloth, before he laughed and ran a hand over his hair in a futile attempt to get it out of his face, "I think that was the shortest lived lead yet."

The humour left him as the situation caught up to him, and he watched as the mirth in Red Son's eyes was replaced with something uncertain, "MK...?"

He swallowed thickly.

He could hear the unspoken question asking what they were doing and he had no idea how to answer it.

He knew what he wanted to do but could he bear to live with the consequences of it?

Sitting up properly, he combed a hand through his hair again as he struggled to get any words past his lips, "I... I don't- I mean, I want-"

Red Son pushed himself up so the two sat face to face, unthinkingly his hands made to rest comfortingly on MK's hips but he seemed to remember himself at the last minute, placing them on the ground instead.

He really wished that Red Son would just take the lead - whatever he decided MK would follow him. But it was clear from the apprehensive look in his eyes that he was thinking the same thing. Neither of them wanted to be the one that made that call.

If he said yes now, he knew he'd say yes forevermore, and there would be consequences.

Both in the short term, as a result of Red Son's position as heir to the Demon Bull King, and in the long term, as their age difference became more and more pronounced.

There were a million reasons to say no and yet the thought of missing out on everything they could be together just to save them some heartache and hardship down the line felt untenable.

He took a deep breath and reached for Red Son's hands so he could hold them in his own, and he stared down at them as he started, "Red Son, I... I know that I shouldn't. But I..." He glanced up at eyes filled with hope and he felt his resolve strengthen as his heart finally won out. He stared into star struck eyes as he declared, "But I can't live with the regret of never telling you how much I love you. How much I've always loved you and I... I want everything you're willing to give me! Whether it's tonight, a year or the rest of my life! I want us to be together!"

He felt his eyes sting as he confessed, "I know I can't give you long. But whatever time I can give you, I promise I will spend every moment of it loving you with everything I have!" He faltered, "But if that's not enough, if you don't want this, then I-"

Any fears that Red Son didn't want him were immediately put to rest as his backpedaling was cut off by Red Son grabbing his shirt and pulling him into a furiously resolute kiss.

He couldn't help but feel a little dazed as Red Son abruptly stopped kissing him in order to glare at him with righteous fury, "Then what? We'll go back to how things were before? Pretend none of this ever happened? No. I won't allow it."

It was his turn to be awestruck as Red Son released his shirt and trapped his head between his hands as he offered his own passionate declaration, "I would burn this world to ashes for you. I would challenge my father for his title to prove my worth to you. I would sacrifice everything just to stand by your side. And you would dare to suggest that I could ever find you lacking? That I wouldn't lay my claim to your proffered heart?"

Red Son's expectant look suggested these weren't rhetorical questions but eloquence failed him as he stared at him in adoration. It was just such an unapologetically Red Son declaration of love that he couldn't offer anything more than a "I love you so fucking much." before surging forward to kiss him with such force that Red Son's back hit the ground once more.

Red Son was quick to match his passion as they relished in the permission they now had to embrace each other but he still found the strength to resist the pull of their frenetic kiss for long enough to plead, "Please don't fight your dad for me. I mean, don't do any of that stuff you said but definitely don't do that!"

Red Son looked vaguely amused as he pulled him back down to exchange some tamer kisses before reminding him, "I'll have to fight him eventually regardless - why not do it now in your honour? My beloved deserves a king. My father will appreciate that."

He genuinely couldn't tell how serious Red Son was being about forcibly taking his father's crown but he could worry about stopping an impending war tomorrow.

He grinned impishly, "You just want me to call you Daddy Bull King, don't you?"

He laughed as the pair of them were momentarily engulfed in fire and when the flames subsided it was hard to tell which was burning hotter - Red Son's face or his hair.

He couldn't stop laughing at Red Son's scandalised expression but any teasing was cut off by Red Son suddenly switching their positions. And while there was still an endearingly rosy glow to his cheeks, there was an intensity to his eyes that had MK's mouth going dry.

.

.

.

Neither of them were in a big hurry to put their clothes back on and leave and they found themselves cuddling quite contently on the ground, MK's head very comfortably pillowed against Red Son's fluffy chest.

It was Red Son that broke the comfortable silence to ask, "You meant what you said?"

There was no need to ask him to clarify which part and he nodded, "I meant every word. I know it won't be easy but I would regret it until the day I died if I didn't give this a fair shot."

Red Son stroked his back absently, "What are you most worried about?"

A little sheepishly he responded, "Honestly? How Princess Iron Fan is going to react."

Obviously, he had much bigger, long-term concerns than that but that was probably the most immediate hurdle to overcome and a little worryingly Red Son didn't disagree with him, instead nodding seriously, "She won't be pleased but then she never is. I will stand my ground no matter what and I believe my father and Macaque will support me when I do."

He didn't like the idea that he was about to be the cause of some serious family drama but he couldn't help but feel a little proud of Red Son for being prepared to stand up to his mother.

He hated the way Red Son seemed to wilt in her presence.

A little surprised about DBK, he asked, "You really think your dad will be alright with us?"

"Officially, he may be obligated to show some disapproval but privately I think he will be quite pleased. Truthfully, he's really quite the romantic. And Macaque will no doubt be able to spin a tale that will make it acceptable for him to publicly grant us his blessing."

Macaque was such a bizarre character. He seemed to enjoy nothing more than ruining everyone's day and yet you could always rely on him to have your back when it really mattered. This wouldn't even be close to the first time that he had stood up to PIF and DBK in Red Son's defence and it certainly wouldn't be the last.

It was probably only fair given that Red Son bore the brunt of his aggravating personality. Well, second only to Wukong, of course.

He couldn't help but preemptively apologise, "Sorry, I'm about to cause you so much trouble."

Red Son snorted, "You've been causing me nothing but trouble since they day we met. A little late to start apologising for it now."

He shuffled back so he could look up at Red Son's face, "Yeah, but not like this. And your family is going to be around a lot longer than I am - I don't want you having bad blood because of me."

Red Son had squeezed him tighter at the mention of his mortality but he responded levelly, "Tomorrow, we can talk about it properly and I will put your fears to rest. But know I am confident in my ability to navigate any difficulties. I wouldn't have allowed this to happen if I thought otherwise, I would never put you in harm's way."

He frowned, "It's not me I'm worried about."

Although, now that he thought about it maybe he should be a little worried that PIF might try and take him out prematurely...?

Probably wise not to accept any food or drink from her any time soon.

Red Son nodded, "I know but I hold more cards than you realise. Tomorrow, I'll tell you everything but let us have tonight without worrying about the future."

Well, it was pretty late and not having to talk about family politics was a little tempting to resist.

He yawned and snuggled back into Red Son, "Alright, deal. This is making for some pretty terrible pillow talk."

Red Son huffed fondly before kissing his forehead, "Agreed. I'd rather tell you how much I love you until we fall asleep."

He grinned, "I'm all ears. We're not sleeping here though, right?"

Red Son looked around as he hummed, "We could but I'd rather just whisk us back to my bed when sleep finally claims us."

"Sounds good to me. So, about how much you love me?"

They must have shared whispers of love and devotion with one another for hours - listing out their favourite traits, recounting moments that they'd only fallen harder and apologising for not having been brave enough to cross that line sooner.

But nothing made his heart feel more complete than being able to finally tell him without fear that he loved him, and to hear Red Son return it, equally fearless.

--End--

LMK Fanfic Masterlist

[lucagray813]

The Hero & The Warrior

I saw this really cool art piece by karmab3rry the other day and was instantly enamoured! I decided I really needed to give doing some fanart of the iconic Shadow Play myself and so here we are!

Original Screenshot underneath the cut!

[lucagray813]

Adding vague and/or ominous hints in the author's notes is what writing fanfic is all about 😌

[lucagray813]

I just stumbled across “Monkey See, Monkey Do”, and before getting committed to actually reading the whole think i wanted to ask if is it shadowpeach ?? (Romantic) Or is it just platonic ??

Monkey See, Monkey Do is purely platonic! (So is everything else in the Monkey Talk series!)

If you're after Shadowpeach I can offer Shadow though! That's a post-reconciliation, slice of life, developing relationship sort of fic! Or if you're happy with an ambiguous relationship you can interpret however you like then you can check out any of my standalone fics!

[lucagray813]

Co-Exist AU - Part 4

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LBD has her sights set on Mac so how is she going to get him?

Well, the first step is removing MK and Wukong from the picture. And it's child's play to lay a false trail for Wukong so he chases a lead somewhere far away and dangerous, and it's equally easy to arrange an attack on the city to distract MK.

Now, how to deal with Macaque himself? Well, disguised as Bǎi Hé she's managed to extract all sorts of information from MK under the guise of an excited Monkey King fan that wants to know all about this other Monkey King-like monkey that no one else knows about.

She knows he tends to sleep outside the cave and that he's nocturnal, so attacking during the day gives her a slight advantage. Though she doesn't believe he won't snap awake the second she steps on the island - he'll likely be tired and caught of guard and that could make all the difference.

The biggest thing she needs to prevent is Mac teleporting away but as his powers rely on shadows she has a trick up her sleeve. The spirits and ghosts at her command feel right at home in the dark and are capable of clinging to the incorporeal and so her plan is to infest and overwhelm the shadows with them.

So imagine Mac tries to create a sharp skewer out of shadows to impale LBD, he'll be fighting against the spirits to actually give it the form and speed he was aiming for - giving LBD plenty of time to dodge. Alternatively, if Mac sinks into the shadows, he'll find hundreds of souls ready to claw and pull at him - greatly slowing him down and possibly even forcing him out.

It's a similar story with his portals, infested with spirits they are deeply unpleasant to use, can make them difficult to "aim" and he could again be dragged out before reaching his destination.

Using the spirits like this will take all of her effort and so she'll be deploying Mayor to actually pin down Mac who will most definitely still try and make a break for the cave on foot if he can't use his shadows. Mac could possibly fight off Mayor long enough to get to safety but he'll find it exponentially more difficult when LBD is still using spirits to distract him by causing general chaos, making noise and grabbing at him.

The final push that will get her her prize is the thousands of monkeys she will quickly realise she can threaten to further distract Mac and eventually force him to comply.

The plan all goes without a hitch, although when Mac realises the writing is on the wall, in a last ditch effort he astral projects to MK and Wukong. It's only for a second but it's enough for both of them to know that something is very wrong, especially Wukong and he is speeding back to the island as fast as he can but the LBD stronghold he was checking out is suddenly going out of its way to stop him.

MK similarly can't just ditch his fight without endangering the city and while he tries to wrap it up as fast as he can both of them arrive on the scene too late.

Mac is gone and so are the two artefacts LBD needed that had been in the vault.

MK is very vocal about blaming himself for not getting here fast enough and not being here in the first but Wukong is so far gone in his anger that he can't even hear him.

He's taking this fight to LBD now.

MK tries to reason with him to the tune of something like, "What's your plan? You said we couldn't just fight her!" But inevitably all he can do is try and keep up when Wukong makes his way to Spider Queen's lair.

They find it deserted, Golden Vision revealing no clues, but Wukong doesn't fly off the handle yet, "They can't have gone far, she still needs the staff. They must be somewhere in the city."

And so they search, MK calling in the gang to help but they find nothing.

Wukong concludes that if she's somehow forcing Mac to use her powers for her then he could have portaled them anywhere. Realising that the staff is the only thing that LBD really needs for her plan, he forces all of the gang back to the cave - intending to put them on house arrest until he can figure out what to do.

Pigsy is especially vocal about more or less being kidnapped, he has a business to run! And Tang can't help but nervously point out that LBD already got into the cave once so was here really that safe?

(By this point everyone is filled in on the situation.)

Wukong explains that she got in by using Mac, all he needs to do is remove him from the seal and she won't be able to get in. He hesitates at the waterfall for a long time however, feeling all sorts of wrong at thought of removing Mac's access but he snaps out of it when MK calls his name in concern and does what he has to do.

He'll add him back when he's brought him home.

Wukong is doing his best to compartmentalise but it's clear to everyone that he's struggling to keep it together.

MK has a brain wave however, "Wait! We can astral project to him! Then he could tell us where he is! …right?"

Wukong doubts it but both he and MK sit down and make an attempt only to be met with interference in the form of LBD's spirits.

At this point, its very late so Wukong tells everyone to go to sleep. When asked if he's not going to do the same, he tells them he needs to check on the monkeys and any damage to the island. He sharply adds that he'll do it alone when MK tries to offer to come with.

At MK's hurt expression, Wukong does try and gentle his response telling him the best thing he could do was rest.

Wukong leaves and gets the full story from a very distressed troupe of monkeys and while he does his best to reassure them that none of them are to blame and that he'll bring Mac home before they can even miss him, internally he is a mess of fear, guilt and anger.

To have fallen for LBD's ruse, to have failed to get back to Mac in time when he reached out to him for help, to not know how to find him? It's destroying him.

And fueling the desire to wipe LBD from the face of the earth no matter what.

And he knows just the power capable of such a thing.

The Samadhi Fire.

He needs to be smart about this. He needs to assume the worse and that Mac won't have a choice but to Listen for LBD and so this plan can't be spoken out loud - he'll even need to slap a silencing seal in Nezha to stop him from giving the game away.

Plan for how to get rid of her forming, he now needs a plan to find her.

She needs the staff and she'll do whatever she needs to do to get it. As long as the staff, and MK, stay in the cave then there's no way for her to get it but there's all manner of tricks she could play to try and convince MK, and his friends, to come out of their own free will.

They have access to the internet, if she attacked the city all of them would scramble to get back.

Is it going a step too far to keep them locked in here?

What if he left a clone? He wouldn't even have to tell anyone, he could even slap a silencing spell on himself so Mac would be none the wiser. A much more powerful clone than normal that could whisk MK and friends out of danger at the slightest provocation and dissuade LBD from making a move by making her think he was still here.

Or maybe he didn't want to dissuade her entirely? It didn't sit right with him but she was only going to reveal herself in order to get the staff, that meant she needed to think she had a chance to take it from MK…

Or! Better option that didn't endanger MK - maybe he had something in the vault that could help? Maybe he should fully exhaust that option first!

Alright, that was the plan - he would covertly go for the Fire while a clone lead the search for Mac, starting with the vault, and with a secondary objective to keep MK, and the staff, safe at all costs.

The plan would be in motion before MK or the others were even awake.

Mac is freezing. His breath visible as the chains he wears force him to kneel in a room full of spirits grating at his ears with their cacophony of shrieks and wails.

LBD's plan is to force him to make a magically binding contract with her, a deal if you will, that will give her much more power over him.

Periodically, she will silence the spirits and try a variety of ploys from trying to convince him of her righteous mission to threatening to leave him here to rot.

She makes sure he knows that no one is coming to save him and that the only way out is to accept her offer. She makes sure to try and squash any faith or fondness he may have for MK or Wukong. Telling him it was through MK she was able to capture him, and asking him why the great sage would ever care enough to save him? He didn't even come to his aid when he "called" for him.

(She hadn't expected Mac to astral project but she knew immediately when he had done it and was quick to cut off the connection.)

She'll drive Mac to madness if that's what it takes to get what she wants, tell him any lie, tear apart any shred of faith.

But eventually it's the offer to spare the island and the troupe if he agrees to work for her - she'll even let him retire there once destiny has been fulfilled - that seems to get him, that and the desperate need to be free of the pain caused by the cold and the spirits he's been trapped with.

He becomes her champion.

And thus we're pretty much set up for the Season 2 finale and Season 3!

[lucagray813]

Mo Edit 3

[lucagray813]

Mo Edit 2

[lucagray813]

Mo Edit

[lucagray813]

So i had a really cool dnd moment that made me think of your au. Character who could hear the future, but it always went silent after a point. We thought it was a limit to their power, but then a prophecy of doom showed it was them actually hearing 'nothing' after that point.

It made me wonder. What sounds would LBD consider a 'good future' for mac to hear? Would she consider silence a success as her 'clean slate', or worry that means she fails to re-build? It's got my mind going!

Also, less related to the au, do you think Mac would hear the end of the cycle as silence?

Very interesting questions! Forgive me as I ramble trying to answer them!

So, when it comes to LBD the first thing we need to think about is what her goal actually is - what does her perfect world actually look like? How does she plan to achieve it once she has the Samadhi Fire?

One option could be that she's decided that humans, demons and celestials have had there chance and proven they can't be redeemed and so when she says she wants a clean slate she really means that and she's resetting the world to a point without intelligent life - with that either being the ultimate end goal or then watching the world to influence it's evolution and development.

Or maybe it's a Noah's Arc situation where she will keep safe those that she deems worthy while she cleanses the world.

(We could go a bit nuts with that idea and play around with the idea of human zoo's à la Steven Universe. Maybe her followers have been trying to cultivate the "right" kind of people for this new world, they themselves will not be worthy. Or maybe a zoo is how she plans to run things when all is said and done.)

Maybe her initial plan is just to overthrow the Celestial Realm and then destroy corruption and greed wherever she finds it thereafter - essentially ruling the world with an iron fist and forcing those that remain to comply.

(Or maybe she really just wants to end everything - can't have an imperfect world if there's no world, after all. But let's assume that's not it for the time being.)

Regardless, what she ultimately purports to want is a world free of suffering (although how far she's pushing that definition is another factor - animals gotta eat you know? And tragedy can still strike without anyone being at fault.), but depending on her strategy that might take a while to achieve so I think when she initially forces Mac to listen to the future she's looking for short term outcomes to her immediate plans - getting the artefacts, getting the Samadhi Fire, attacking the Celestial Realm, etc.

If she was to make him listen long, long term (which unlikely given it would take Mac a lot of time, energy and sanity to do), she probably wants him to tell her if mortals are still suffering at the hands of other mortals or higher powers (definitely could see an outcome where he always tells her yes, you.).

In the case where there is absolute silence - she too would at first probably assume this was a limitation of Mac's power, maybe even assumes that he can only hear the future for as long as he's alive and she wouldn't be surprised to have done away with him at some point. If she realised, or perhaps better to say accepted, that it meant the end of everything she might take it to mean that that was the only way to truly achieve peace. She might try to find ways to change that but inevitably she might eventually believe total destruction of everything is the only way.

Maybe that's always been the back up plan and hearing nothing just confirms what's she's always known deep down - that the world is irredeemable.

Side note, this got me thinking about the Samadhi Fire and if its truly capable of destroying everything then that might include the guardians of the coloured stones and so all her actions might achieve is releasing Primordial Chaos into the world. In which case it wouldn't be silence Mac would hear, it'd probably be something he couldn't articulate, might drive him crazy to boot.

(I also had a thought that the Samadhi Fire is actually a flame born of Primordial Chaos and it's whole deal is it wants to burn through the fabric of reality in order to return to it.)

So, uh, short answer. I don't think silence is what she's hoping for but it could still be considered an acceptable outcome.

Alright, onto Mac and the end of the cycle.

So, impossible question to answer here but we have to ask how the cycle works. How does it reset? At what point does it reset to?

I think it would be kind of cool, if the silence that Mac could hear after the end of the cycle was actually the start of the next cycle - the void of space before the Big Bang or whatever.

(We've also got to consider Mac's range - maybe just the area he's listening to is quiet and it just so happens the universe has always existed in a pocket of the Chaos or something.)

I'm sort of leaning towards the idea that the cycle that Nǚwā has created does not actually encompass the entirety of time and space as she herself is unable to influence Chaos and has simply found the means to keep it at bay for a time. So does that mean the cycle starts at the moment she creates the coloured stones? (I'm assuming she creates them anyway but could be she found them?) Or maybe the cycle starts with her? When she first opens her eyes for the first time? Or at whatever the creation event is for the "universe"? Maybe she gets to choose how every cycle how it starts?

I think in this scenario that maybe after the cycle ends, Mac maybe hears absolute silence for a split second before hearing Chaos. Because the Chaos exists whether the cycle does or not.

If I'm being totally honest I don't think I can really wrap my head around how the reset works. Like, I get the idea that the barrier keeping the world safe from Chaos eventually fails but how does the reset actually work? Are we literally just rewinding the clock to restore it? That could suggest that it's not necessarily Chaos weakening the barriers but something inside doing that damage?

Regardless, in that scenario then does nothing change from cycle to cycle? What would be the point of resetting then? Can events only change if something new from "outside the cave" manages to break in? Maybe each time Nǚwā repairs the Pillar of Heaven something new manages to slip in and from that point the cycle can vary? (Maybe this time it was the Samadhi Fire that snuck in? Or something that would go on to be the Samadhi Fire?)

I've deviated a fair bit from your question but it's super difficult to know what he hears without understanding the cycle and/or Chaos. 😅 I think my short answer would be that he hears Chaos though. Maybe something in the Chaos even speaks to him? Offers him a deal that effects the next cycle? The one canon to LMK? 👀

[lucagray813]

Fanart for @madabapf

This is a redraw of Madabapf's DTIYS from earlier this year! I didn't participate at the time since I don't really have my own style yet 😅 but I've been getting into watercolours recently and I really love @madabapf's comics so here we are!

If you've somehow not come across them yet they are well worth checking out! Great takes and headcanons, really funny and angsty comics and they just seem pretty cool all around! Highly recommend you check out their stuff!

Progress pics and some general ramblings about the process under the cut!

So the original plan was to have a go using masking fluid so I could do the background properly but the stuff I got just ended up ripping the paper. I don't know if it was the masking fluid, the paper or just a skill issue but I decided I didn't want to put this off until I got a different brand so I just went for it without using the masking fluid!

This is only my second attempt trying a background (This was the first!) and it was maybe a bit overly ambitious of me but I'm glad I gave it ago!

I am really pleased with how Mac and Wukong turned out! I'm still trying to get the hang of mixing paints to get the right colour but I think I did a pretty good job! I'm especially pleased I managed to get their skin tones pretty close!

There was a lot of trusting the process involved with the layering and trying to preserve the highlights but I think I was really getting the hang of it by the time I got to Wukong's gold little butt cape thing!

Overall, I'm very happy and proud of the attempt!

I also wanted to share a tip that I've found helpful since I've started trying to learn how to draw/paint! I used to get sort of like this perfection paralysis where I wouldn't want to move onto the next step in case I messed it up so I just started taking pictures of the process so even if something doesn't quite go to plan I still have a version of it I was happy with! And to be honest, I rarely regret moving onto the next step - even if it doesn't turn out quite how I liked I can usually find at least one thing I like about it.

My current motto for art is - Practice makes progress! As long as I'm doing some sort of art I'm on my way to improving!

[lucagray813]

AU of Monkey Talk

I've been thinking recently about what would happen in Monkey Talk if Wukong never killed Macaque, and while it would play havoc on the wider plot, it's been nice to sort of think through how much it would change.

Mac is very much not doing well when he leaves the island to find Wukong and you better believe their fight doesn't leave him doing better. So he ends up spending a while by himself, but before long he remembers that everyone back home is probably worried so he sends them a letter telling them that he's taking a sabbatical.

I think he occasionally sticks an ear through a portal to make sure all is good back home but other than that he stays well clear, maybe just sending the occasional note that he's alive - possibly with a gift attached every once in a while.

In the original AU, Wukong doesn't tell the G&Ms about their fight and while he does initially keep it a secret this time too he's forced to come clean before the journey is even completed because of Mac's letter. Even if Mac hadn't mentioned he'd run in with Wukong at all the G&Ms would have figured out something was up - no way Mac would have just suddenly ditched his mission to find Wukong.

They are, of course, very unhappy about the fight - more so that Wukong didn't tell them about it immediately - but while there are a lot of feelings everyone is agreed that as soon as the journey is done that finding Mac is their top priority.

Even before the journey is over Wukong has been sending out clones and searching for him but he really ramps up his efforts once the circlet is off. At which point Mac is very aware he's looking for him but he's in no mood to be found and he is both impossible to sneak up on and very capable of remaining hidden.

Wukong realising this is likely the case tries two new tacts - laying magic traps on the island specifically for Mac so he can try and catch him whenever he opens a portal to drop off a letter or listen in and trying to reach him via astral projection. He almost has some success with the former but with the latter Mac cuts off the connection as soon as he realises.

(Side note: Mac has clocked something is up with his immortality (or at the very least his supercharged healing) after his fight with Wukong but unfortunately there are no fruiting immortal peach trees on the island yet so he's sort of just having to deal with it. A plot point to explore later.)

Wukong is getting beyond frustrated that he can't even get Mac to talk to him, let alone reconcile, but he's also not actually that surprised - nobody holds a grudge like Mac.

The G&Ms have had enough though, especially Liu, and she demands that Wukong takes her with him to search for Mac with Ma quickly telling them that she's coming too. Realising they both have a better chance of getting Mac to talk to them than he does Wukong agrees. Finding him is still another matter however.

Meanwhile, Ba's been trying to get to grips with astral projection. He's been learning from Wukong and can actually manage it for short periods of time over short distances but he trains constantly to try and reach Mac. Beng has been researching seals and artefacts that might prove useful in tracking Mac and honestly if it was anyone other than Mac that they were trying to find he probably would have already cracked it.

It's important to note that after a certain point Mac is no longer just avoiding going home and feeling sorry for himself - he's also searching for answers. He's long felt that he's never really belonged on the island and he has nothing but questions about where he came from so in between dodging Wukong he's spending his time trying to figure out who he is and where he came from.

Which does further complicate things when they eventually do manage to pin Mac down.

I can't really decide how they get him - I'm leaning towards a real team effort tho. Beng finds an artefact that can get them roughly in the right place, Ba accompanies Wukong and co. And manages to make contact with him via astral projection and keeps his attention long enough for Liu and Ma to close in on his position.

All it takes is one of the G&Ms to get within sight of him and he won't have it in him to runaway.

In this timeline, reconciliation with Wukong is not out with the realms of possibility. Mac hasn't had centuries of death and suffering to allow his hatred and pain to fester and with the G&Ms help they could even potentially be friends once more but it's still a very long road.

The eventual outcome of finding Mac however is that instead of the G&Ms travelling to find him, they travel with him to help him unravel the mysteries of his past and this does prompt everyone to do their own travelling, similar to in MT, from time to time too.

Overall, it's a more positive story than the original. It's not without it's drama because Ma and Mac have issues to work out as well as Wukong and Mac and they're highly emotional affairs but overall it involves a lot more honesty and everyone going through their character arcs much sooner.

Despite all of his issues, with himself and Wukong, it doesn't take much time for Mac to be convinced to put in the occasional visit to the island - much to the delight and relief of everyone. (He does feel exceptionally guilty about abandoning his home but he was high key not doing well following the fire and his fight with Wukong. But he did at least know that it was safe after that point because Wukong had left clones on the island after their fight.)

How him not dying would affect the overall plot I'm still trying to work out but I do really like imagining the adventures he goes on with the G&Ms (and maybe even eventually Wukong) in the meantime. Lots of potential for some really sweet moments. Altho does make the original AU all the more tragic. 🥲

[lucagray813]

Co-Exist AU - Part 3

First | Prev | Next

Season 2 here we go!

It doesn't take MK long to question why they're not just taking the fight to LBD because surely she's no match for the Monkey King, right?

Which, pfft, obviously she's not but while she is most definitely not as powerful as him, she is plenty dangerous. She's all but unkillable for a start and her particular brand of magic makes her exceptionally difficult to keep imprisoned so they need to have a fool proof game plan before they face her because if she gets away there's no easy way to find her or figure out her next move.

Right now she's lying low, taking her time, she doesn't know that they know what she's up to - they have the advantage and they need to make the most of it because trust him, kid, you don't want to find out what that witch is capable of when provoked.

Naturally, MK asks how they stopped her last time and Wukong explains that it was his master that had figured out how to lock her away but as it transpired that hadn't been the permanent solution they had hoped for.

But together they were going to get rid of her for good this time and he already had ideas brewing! He just needed to check out a couple of things first - follow some leads, talk to some old friends, that kind of stuff.

All of which MK is keen to get involved in but Wukong is quick to tell him that his responsibility in all this will be to focus on his training and helping Mac protect the island whenever he's away. And let's not forget you've still got a city protect, kid.

It all sounds very reasonable, even if he doesn't think Mac needs help, but MK can't help but feel he's being sidelined and is very put out that Wukong won't actually fill him in on what he's planning to do whenever he's away.

From Wukong's perspective, he's just trying to keep the kid safe - he's going to be checking out some dangerous places that MK legit isn't ready to go yet and he's likely going to be doing some morally/legally dubious things that he doesn't want MK to see or get involved in. The less MK knows the better.

But while Wukong would rather keep MK in the dark about a lot of things, he does feel the need to caution him about LBD. She's smart, she's not going to make a move before she's got all her ducks in a row, so he's not necessarily afraid she's going to put MK in immediate danger but she could very well try and get information from him.

LBD is a master of disguise, he warns, and that's why it's important that he needs to learn to hone his instincts and remember his Golden Vision.

He wants him to get in the habit of using it in the first instance whenever something feels off or when faced with a new situation. In fact from now on, he'll be randomly checking to make sure MK is staying on his toes - via traps, surprise attacks and turning up in disguise himself while MK's in the city.

MK is unbelievably stressed over the fact that there's such a dangerous enemy plotting beneath his feet and he gets exceedingly paranoid that everyone he runs into could be her in disguise. Something that doesn't go unnoticed by his friends and family but, like canon, MK makes the questionable decision to keep his knowledge of LBD to himself (which we'll get into later with this AU's version of the Shadow Play.)

But his paranoia does ease up a little as nothing LBD related seems to pop up and he gets better and better at using his powers and acing Wukong's surprise tests of his Golden Vision.

Down in the depths of Spider Queen's lair, Huntsman's absence has most definitely been noted and while no one feels particularly upset about his presumed death it does leave the Spider's feeling uneasy. For LBD, it simply offers her a conundrum of how to gain access to Wukong's vault and really there's only one person she could conceivably try to manipulate into gaining her access.

Fortunately, she already has the perfect disguise in Bǎi Hé.

It's not hard for the mayor to "encourage" some demons to incite some chaos in the city - Bǎi Hé won't be showing up anywhere with Spider Demons (no need to give MK any reason to be suspicious, after all.) And it's then straightforward enough to put herself in a position that MK can save her from.

She is very aware of MK's Golden Vision and thusly for this initial meeting, she actually relinquishes her control on Bǎi Hé altogether, recapturing her only once MK has saved the day. MK only interacts with Bǎi Hé for a split second to remove her from harm's way - giving the real Bǎi Hé no chance to warn him about LBD.

(I'm on the fence if the real Bǎi Hé is aware she's being used as bait or if LBD tampered with her memory somehow. If the real Bǎi Hé is aware of what's going on then know that she's absolutely terrified.)

A couple of days later, LBD (as Bǎi Hé) appears at Pigsy's Noodles, deliberately picking a time she knows MK won't be there, wearing her Monkey King schoolbag and looking nervous.

Pigsy, and Tang, take note of her and once he's given her her noodles he asks if she's alright. "Gathering her courage" she asks if this is where the Monkie Kid works and she explains that she wanted to thank him for saving her the other day - she even has a gift for him!

Tang and Pigsy try and tell her that no thanks are needed, especially not a gift but they agree to pass it on to MK when he gets back. LBD is long gone by the time he's back and after a quick check with his Golden Vision is very touched by the chocolate and the hand drawn card calling him her hero and he's sorry he missed her - vaguely remembering the girl he'd saved from her description.

LBD shows up a couple of more times, on her way home from school, trying to catch a glimpse of MK (knowing full well he won't be there). She endears herself to Pigsy by always buying some food to go and complimenting his cooking and she endears herself to Tang by being an obvious Monkey King fan - the two chatting while Pigsy makes her food. Eventually, Pigsy tells MK to hang about one afternoon so she can actually meet him.

The thought of using his Golden Vision doesn't even cross her mind - she's just some sweet kid that he saved and that has both Tang and Pigsy's approval and look at how unbelievably excited and nervous she is to have a chance to ask for his autograph and on some fanart she drew of him!

(Side note: I think it would be funny if the Spider Demons and the mayor had been tasked with the fanart (I think the mayor's artwork was almost immediately disqualified for being too abstract and disturbing). Strong likes the drawing, Syntax is highly offended but is goaded into trying to outdo Strong, Spider Queen is disgusted with the whole thing.)

And so, every once in a while LBD shows up to say hello to her hero, still sometimes missing him, and the two start to bond over Monkey King and art. He's none the wiser when a wide-eyed LBD asks him if he'd really met the Monkey King and been to Flower Fruit Mountain - she's not asking anything he wouldn't have asked after all.

And then the fatal mistake happens.

MK let's her flick through some of his artwork and she very innocently asks who this other monkey that looks like Monkey King is.

MK explains that's just a friend of Monkey King's and full of wonder she asks if he stays on the island too and if he's just as strong? He answers that yeah, he lives on the island and that he's super strong but his powers are totally different from Wukong's. He gives her his name when asked and just like that she has the lead she's been waiting for.

She's heard of the Six-Eared Macaque, his name comes up more than once in the book.

A book that mentions he has the ability to Listen to the past and the future.

A demon close to the Monkey King, very likely one with access to the cave, and with a power so useful to ensuring destiny is on track?

Destiny has delivered her the perfect Champion.

While all of this has been happening with LBD, MK has been getting closer to Mac - training with him again and sharing lookout responsibilities while Wukong is away (MK has dayshift, Mac nightshift and the two hang out during the evening for a little while.)

Mac is overall displeased with Wukong's current strategy but he unfortunately knows better than to question the king and so he's just doing his best to prepare for when everything inevitably goes wrong.

And one thing he can do is try to positively influence MK and stop him following in his mentor's footsteps.

This comes to a head one evening following an "argument" of sorts between MK and Wukong. MK is well in the habit of checking over Wukong with his Golden Vision at this point so when he comes back glamoured to hide the fact he's a little worse for wear after searching one of LBD's old hideouts MK calls him out.

He wants to know what he's doing! He can help! Wukong is dismissive - reiterating that MK is most useful here getting stronger and protecting the island. The Monkey King has everything in hand.

MK is complaining about this to Mac the next time that Wukong is away, even going as far to suggest he should follow him and prove he's more use to him by his side that being left here without a clue what he's really doing.

The whole time he's doing this, Mac notes how he ignores the way his phone is buzzing, as he often does when his friends and family try and contact him for anything but an attack on the city.

Mac very helpfully points out the similarities between Wukong's behaviour and MK's - using the shadows to show two images side by side of Wukong walking away from MK and MK walking away from his friends.

MK is quick to tell him that it's not the same. That he's keeping his friends safe. He's practically invincible and with Monkey King's powers to boot - they don't. He can't let them get involved with this LBD mess - a demon that's giving even Wukong a hard time. It's not the same.

There's a seed of doubt been planted however and Mac intends to see it grow.

He has the shadows show him Mei growing more concerned and frustrated before eventually taking matters into her own hands and following MK the way that he was planning to follow Wukong and getting hurt by LBD as a result.

MK misunderstands, thinking Mac is telling him not to follow Wukong because he's not strong enough and Mac decides it's time to try a different tact.

It's time for the Shadow Play.

This Shadow Play shares similar beats from the original. It focuses at first on Mac and Wukong being friends and equals before showing how the relationship changes as Wukong gets more powerful, ignoring Mac, refusing to listen to his concerns and making decisions for both of them until it eventually accumulates in a burning island and Monkey King trapped under a mountain.

The point Mac wants to get across isn't that bad things happened because he or Wukong weren't strong enough but because Wukong had thought he knew what was best, that he could do it all by himself and that was the reason for his downfall.

To avoid any doubt, he has the Shadow Play run again but with Mei and MK in Mac and Wukong's roles respectively, fine tuning the story to make it more in line with the modern age - ignored phone calls, etc., but instead of ending in fire, it ends in ice and it ends with MK alone.

Mac wants him to see that by making the choice for his friends MK isn't keeping them safe.

MK struggles with this because he knows the moment he tells his friends about LBD they'll want to help him take her down however they can and he just can't let them do that but at the same time does he really know what he's doing? His friends don't have to get involved in the fighting to help and if there is a risk that things do hit the fan then they'd probably like a heads up at least.

He also really doesn't want his friendships to fall apart the way that Mac and Wukong's relationship did.

So he promises to think about it. But he can't resist asking Mac if this is the reason he avoids Wukong (he suspects there's more to it because he remembers Mac's fear at the idea of MK challenging Wukong) but he doesn't get an answer, just a request that he better than Wukong.

And that rounds up this installment! Next time - Mac becomes LBDs unwilling champion!

As ever, any thoughts or ideas - I'd love to hear them!

[lucagray813]

I have a few ideas for what LBD might do in the new au:

-with 3 of the items together, if she can attack the island while wukong is away (for some reason), probably using the spider ghosts and the original spider mech, and Mayor can probably match Mac for the lantern, Then she can absorb MK's powers as he defends, getting 3 of the items by focusing all her forces there. Problems are the weed and keeping wukong busy. Those can go hand in hand by getting wukong to go for the flower and attacking while he's away, and then using hostages from the island to get him to give her the flower. Essentially going for war strategy to force destiny on track.

-second idea is probably more her style. Using Bai He and probably even other hosts/possessed to gain trust. Like slow takeover of the town deal. MK is easy to manipulate, and he can get wukong to trust someone he shouldn't, but Mac would never (ESPECIALLY this mac) so he becomes the big obstacle.

I can see a timeline of trust building, managing to somehow snag the flower, but that reveals that 'anyone' can be used by her, so they get paranoid and start using the mirror to check people, making it vulnerable to take. Eventually she uses Bai He to lead MK to her where, big twist, she takes over MK instead of Wukong for this au. She still has to worry about overwhelming power like wukong, so it probably either takes her full personal control, or giving up mayor like canon. Or it could be a 'he tries to take in all the Spirits controlling the town and ends up under her control, for the angst. Either way, using him she can get to Mac, since mk is the only one he trusts right now. Que the dramatic betrayal with the Lantern and staff being handed over to her. And all the extra angst because mac was betrayed again! Extra dramatic if he almost realizes in time, and attacks possessed mk, to be stopped and confronted by wukong. Yay more trauma!

I intended for this to be brief, but then just kept typing....

Am I in the ballpark for ways this could go?

Oooh! Some real good thoughts in there! You're definitely in the ballpark of where my head was at with both options but with some really interesting twists! I respect how you're aiming for maximum angst potential 😌

At the moment, one of my main thoughts is how do I get us to Season 3 while trying to keep certain elements of that season canon - the biggest of which is Macaque being her unwilling champion. He is an exceptionally valuable asset to LBD if she can get her hands on him - he's important to Wukong, has access to the cave and has his ability to Listen. And so currently my thoughts are circling around how that could possibly come about.

And so far it's through a combination of both your ideas - LBD using disguises, hosts and manipulation as a means of getting closer to MK and finding out more about him, the island, Monkey King and Mac before setting up distractions for both MK and Wukong so she and the Mayor can go for Mac.

Still playing around with a lot of ideas but I'm liking the idea that she doesn't initially know about Macaque but, after establishing herself as a fellow Monkey King fan and a regular customer at Pigsy's, discovers him via MK's drawings and from there her plans start to take shape.

You've really got me thinking about how best to implement Bǎi Hé in this scenario! I'm thinking maybe she initially introduces herself to MK via situation in which she's a victim that he needs to rescue (similar to canon but somewhere away from anything Spider related and the underground layer so he doesn't get suspicious) then giving her a great excuse to start visiting the restaurant to occasionally check in with her hero.

Just so many ways that it can go!

[lucagray813]

Co-Exist AU - Part 2

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We deviate quite quickly from canon once the events of Season 2 kick off - only getting to episode 2 "Dumpling Destruction" before Mac reenters the scene because you better believe he snaps to action the second a spider demon steps foot on the island.

MK and Tang have a much easier time this episode because Huntsman doesn't get anywhere near the cave before Mac kills him, and in fact they have no idea the guy was even there, so they get their vase and skedaddle back to the city to deal with the giant dumpling in the sky.

Meanwhile, Mac decides he needs to find out what this intruder was after and why.

Despite his best efforts to ignore Wukong, with ears like his and with a troupe of gossipy monkeys, it's inevitable that he's always got a good idea of what's going on and so he's well aware that he's just killed one of Spider Queen's lackeys and that her last known base of operations was underneath the city so armed with that information - he Listens.

(Important to note that Mac is not voluntarily leaving the island anytime soon - not only is he currently its sole guardian but he's also just a homebody.)

Listening takes a great deal of focus and leaves him vulnerable during and after, more so if he's Listening to the past or future. Because he has no idea how far back or forward he'd have to Listen for answers and he can't afford to be vulnerable while Wukong's away, he's only Listening to the present right now.

He manages to get this gist that someone is advising the Spider Queen to gather certain artefacts for some nefarious plan, someone surrounded by whispers of the damned, and that's all he gets. But he's got a hunch that Wukong knows more given the suspicious timing of his "vacation" and decides the wayward king needs to get his butt back here.

MK at this point is helping with dumpling clean up and he is very surprised when Mac astral projects to him and gestures for him to come to see him. MK scrambles to action immediately, ignoring his friends complaints that he's still got work to do and he was literally just on the island.

He shouts his apologies and promises to be back soon but this is the first time he's heard from Mac since their training stopped and no part of him thinks that's a good sign (although he is very relieved at least one mystic monkey is still about.)

Any pleasantries are quickly skipped when MK catches sight of the mangled corpse of Huntsman and Mac wastes no time communicating that MK needs to astral project to Wukong and tell him to come back and protect his home from danger.

MK however is having a hard time processing all of this PLUS being in the presence of a dead body. Mac dutifully gets rid of it and then MK has to try and explain that he doesn't know how to astral project and maybe it would be better if Mac did it…?

Predictably, he gets a glare for his suggestion but Mac does at least offer that he can't speak and his shadows aren't visible via astral projection and so because of this (and for no other reason) it has to be MK. MK does grumble that just seeing Mac would be enough to get Wukong running here even faster than he did but louder he points out he still doesn't know how to do it.

Cue Mac giving MK a lesson in astral projection (and preventing MK from passing out or having nose bleeds) - it's an exercise in feeling the shape of your soul, imaging the shape of the soul you want to contact and reaching out to them. And it doesn't actually take MK much time to pull it off.

Wukong has just finished off with the demons he was threatening for information and while surprised to suddenly see MK, he's quick to slap on a cheery face, ask him how the whole Heavenly Dumpling fiasco panned out and let him know how impressed he is he figured out astral projection.

With Mac standing right beside him, he doesn't let himself get swept up in tangents and quickly gets to the point. Explaining that there's been an attempted theft and that he's currently with Macaque who says he needs to get back here asap.

The fact that Macaque is there is almost enough on its own to get Wukong running back to the island right there and then, not to mention he is both concerned and furious that someone would try and steal from his island while he was away.

He asks MK to ask Mac if he's Listened, which he does even if it makes no sense to him. He relays back to Wukong the shape the shadows take - a line with three dots, the middle one being circled.

Knowing about how Mac's powers work and knowing he wouldn't try and talk to him unless it was of the utmost importance, Wukong is convinced to come back, at least for a quick check in, and he promises to be there by morning.

Goodbyes are said and MK is both elated that he's on his way back and feeling increasingly anxious about how serious the situation is.

Mac tries to end it there with a nod so he can leave and go try and catch up on some sleep (he's awake way too early for his tastes) but MK, of course, needs to say his piece. Telling him he's glad to see him again and, uh, y'know maybe they could train together again sometime? Before explaining he tried to find him after talking to Wukong last time, earnestly telling him now that it went really well! Monkey King wasn't mad at all and in fact seemed almost sort of happy to hear about you!

MK is left sorely disappointed and unsure footed however when Mac barely acknowledges anything he says and just communicates that he'll see him tomorrow.

Mac was already aware of how everything went down but there are two points of contention. One, it doesn't matter how much Wukong has changed or grown he doesn't want to interact with him more than is strictly necessary (the power imbalance between them something he can never forget). And two, he's pretty sore over the fact that MK didn't listen to him (picking at an old wound and reminding him a little too much of someone else even if deep down he knows it's not the same).

MK is back bright and early the next day and heads back to the island to wait for Wukong (and lowkey hoping Mac will show up). Mac doesn't show but Wukong doesn't keep him waiting for long and after an enthusiastic, if not a little awkward, reunion, Wukong gets MK to fill him in on everything.

When it becomes clear that they really needed Mac for the next steps MK offers to try and get him but Wukong shakes his head because Mac's either still asleep or has already gotten to work now that Wukong's back and he'll find them when he has more information.

MK prompts Wukong for an explanation and he gives him a very brief run down of Mac's Listening and why he had to wait for him to get back before he could start trying to find answers. He also mentions that it leaves Mac in a pretty bad way after - usually giving him a killer migraine if he's at it for any length of time. It really has to be worth the risk for Mac to use it.

MK suggests that maybe they could just go do some recon themselves then? Sneak into Spider Queen's layer and save Mac the hassle?

Wukong, knowing full well who's down there with Spider Queen, quickly dismisses the idea - pointing out that bad guys don't tend to just leave their evil plans lying about for people to discover, although he does concede they do often seem prone to monologuing, but regardless he says his guts telling him this is the best course of action.

MK rightly feels doubtful about that but he still listens to Wukong.

Wukong is in a bit of a tight spot about what to do here - on one hand he doesn't want to send MK away in case he decides to take matters into his own hands and runs in to LBD but on the other he is almost guaranteed to learn about LBD from Mac if he stays. It's a lose-lose and eventually he decides better to damage control than to risk the kid running into LBD by himself.

So with nothing else to do in the meantime, the two train.

A shadow clone shows up later and that gets both of them to focus up as Mac puts on a shadow play from afar explaining that Spider Queen's advisor is having them collect these artefacts to create a crazy powerful mech that the Queen believes she'll then use to rule the world.

But Mac has picked up on enough clues to figure out LBD's identity and he knows she's the real threat here and communicates as much, and although MK picks up on that, he doesn't know who she is - leaving him to question Wukong.

Who admittedly considers saying he doesn't know either but the shadow clone's look of utter contempt has him coming clean about her identity, but not about the fact he already knew about her involvement. But he's quick to put an up beat spin of things. They know her plan and three of the artefacts she's looking for are already in their possession - the staff with MK and the Demon-Revealing Mirror and the Shadow Lantern safe in the mountain!

The Crimson Jimson Weed only blooms during a crimson moon and he totally knows where so that's an easy one to keep out of her grasp so really her plan is dead in the water because there's no way she's getting into his vault!

(Ha! And here he was worried over nothing! An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and all that! This gives him plenty of time to figure out how to put her in the ground permanently!)

MK and Mac aren't so easily swayed and even though Wukong knows LBD isn't to be underestimated (she'll find another way he knows) he remains positive. Telling them that between them they'll protect the island and look for clues on how to defeat LBD and this whole thing will be put to bed in no time!

The shadow clone and MK exchange a look before MK tries to have faith in his mentor and match his enthusiasm. Mac most certainly has more to say on the matter but for now he'd really like to sleep off this migraine so he resolves to deal with all of this tomorrow.

Before he can dismiss his clone however Wukong thanks him for all he's done and asks after him and whether he needs anything, y'know, for his head or whatever. The clone offers him a baleful look before nodding goodbye to MK and disappearing.

Wukong is put out (although not surprised) but he recovers quickly upon seeing MK looking at him somewhat sympathetically, telling him again that Listening really does do a number on Mac and so best to let him rest before trying to talk to him again.

And that's all I've got this time! Obviously, a lot of Season 2 now doesn't happen although I think you could still have variations of some of the episodes (Pig Pong Panic, Sweet 'n' Sour, Game On and To Catch a Leaf) but I've got some ideas brewing on how LBD changes her plans to make sure destiny stays on track.

Curious to hear if you've got any thoughts on what she might try though!

[lucagray813]

Co-Exist AU

I am sick with a cold at the moment so here's a little idea that came to me while I was lying miserable unable to do much but maladaptive daydream.

The core premise of this AU is that Macaque wasn't killed and that after his fight with Wukong during the journey he retreated back to the island. Badly hurt and very traumatised, he hides away in a remote part of the island afraid of what the Monkey King will do to him if he comes back and finds him in his palace.

Once Wukong comes back after finishing the Journey, he tries more than once to reconcile with Mac but Mac always runs away before he can even get close and the one time he does manage to corner him the sheer terror Mac looks at him with is enough to have him backing off.

Eventually Wukong stops trying and the two coexist on the island - avoiding and ignoring each other. Made easier by the fact that Mac more or less becomes nocturnal.

Hundreds of years pass, and finally MK enters the picture and his introduction to Mac happens similarly to how it does in canon.

After a frustrating day destroying murals, he's trudging away from the mountain and towards the beach so he can go home when a handful of monkeys intercept him and seem to insist he follow them, and despite complaining this better not be another giant termite nest or some other fine dining opportunity, he begrudgingly follows them.

Heading towards a part of the island Wukong told him to stay clear of due to feral monkeys he starts to feel increasingly unsettled as if someone's watching him, and he thinks he glances a figure in the branches more than once but there's nothing there when he looks again.

He let's out a scream and instinctively pulls out his staff when someone suddenly appears in front of him but they're gone again by the time he gets his bearings. The monkeys that have been leading him screech at him and eventually he gets the hint that they want him to put his staff away - which he does very reluctantly.

Almost immediately Mac reappears and this time MK manages to resist pulling out the staff and instead starts to question who he is and why the heck is he naked? Mac obligingly uses the shadows to summon some plain black clothes to cover himself, watching curiously as MK gets a little hysterical in his bewilderment.

Eventually, MK stops to breathe and is somewhat convinced this isn't some evil clone of Monkey King when he sees how calm the monkeys are, some of them even sitting at Mac's feet or on his shoulder.

Whether through physical or emotional trauma, or both, Mac can't speak and he communicates purely with shadows. Ignoring MK's questions about who he is, he manipulates the shadows on the ground in front of MK's feet to show him his "training" session with Wukong and then several monkeys playing telephone to eventually whisper in Mac's ear, telling him about it.

Through some unflattering imagery, MK gets the idea that this stranger thinks Wukong is a bad teacher and is offering to teach him instead - and that if he's interested he should meet him in the "haunted" forest that he's been told to stay clear of.

Mac disappears and MK hesitates, asking the monkeys what they think, even if he can't actually understand their chirping he gets the vibe they're telling him to go for it and inevitably he decides it's at least worth checking out. If only so he can report back to Wukong about this stranger on his island.

What follows is a very boring and practical lesson on proper form.

(Mac being very out of practice with the concept of personal space is a bit handsy in how he corrects MK.)

MK complains about how underwhelming the lesson is before Mac invites him to try and fight him and easily trounces him and gives him a shadow play lecture about foundations and building blocks and sends him on his way and "telling" him he can come back next time if he wants to keep training.

This goes on for a while, and while MK struggles with the slower pace - at least he's actually learning something, even if it's not the hero stuff he really wants. Mac does eventually help him with his powers to a certain degree after a small mishap, but it is more or less limited to learning how to control his physical strength.

He also teaches MK to fight using a staff - not the staff because Mac immediately flees if MK even looks like he's about to pull it out but with a normal wooden staff.

One day MK is complaining about Wukong's training and questioning what he's done wrong that he's been relegated to clean up duty and, to MK's disbelief, Mac explains that it's because Wukong doesn't know how to teach. Although upon reflection MK wonders if Mac might be onto something, especially when Mac adds that Wukong never really been a student himself - learning almost everything easily and with little guidance needed.

Out loud, he wonders if he should talk to Wukong about all of this and is taken aback when Mac looks so panicked by the idea - shadows showing Wukong flying into a terrible rage at MK questioning him. He does his best to reassure Mac, and himself, that wouldn't happen but nothing seems to ease Mac's distress.

Despite this, MK talks to Wukong but decides not to mention Mac. The next time Wukong tries to get him to do some busy work he puts his foot down and asks for Wukong to train him properly. Dismissive and a little offended, Wukong tells him that he is training him "properly" - there are important lessons tucked away in these seemingly pointless tasks.

Annoyed MK asks him what the important lessons are because he's taken up some martial arts lessons on the side and- Immensely offended, Wukong starts questioning him about who's teaching him and what sort of credentials they have that they think they could possibly be a match for the Monkey King!

MK reveals that well, he doesn't actually know his other mentor's name and from there is more or less forced to confess with a "OK, don't be mad but I've sort of been training with that other monkey that lives on the island? You know the one that looks like you?"

Stunned, "You've been training with Macaque…?"

He listens as MK explains everything and when questioned if he's angry or not, he replies he's not, just… confused. MK is equally confused when Wukong starts asking after Mac's welfare - genuinely wanting to know how the other is doing.

Wukong starts to wonder out loud if he should pay him a visit and MK quickly tells him that's not a good idea - reluctantly explaining that Mac seemed sort of… afraid of him?

Wukong is very put out by this but ultimately reassures MK that he won't approach Mac and that MK is free to keep learning from him as long as he keeps him in the loop. The rest of the training session is spent with MK showing him what Mac has taught him.

(MK at some point does ask who Macaque is and he gets a sort of "He's my… He was my… It's complicated, bud. But this is as much his home as it is mine.")

Once MK leaves for the day, Wukong summons some monkeys he knows spend a lot of time with Mac and gets them to tell him what's going on, after complaining at them for not telling him this was going on in the first place.

(Most of the monkeys are friendly with both Mac and Wukong but there are some that are very loyal to one over the other, with some of Mac's loyal followers being outright hostile towards Wukong and generally staying far away from him. The group Wukong talks to are not the hostile kind.)

They explain that when news reached Mac that Wukong was being a bad teacher, he decided he needed to step in. But while he is very offended that the monkeys thought he was doing a bad job AND were talking shit about him to Mac, he does do some serious reflecting and decides he needs to get his act together and be a better mentor.

He's tempted to seek out Mac but some very insistent monkeys make him think better of it.

MK for his part leaves to find Mac and tell him the talk went well but he can't find him. After several failed attempts, he asks Wukong, who asks the monkeys, who tell them that he doesn't need to train MK anymore now that Wukong has got his act together.

Disappointing both MK and Wukong.

That's all I've got so far but Mac definitely appears again during the events of Season 2 when Wukong leaves for "vacation".

I might come back and add more to this later once I've thought about it. But in the meantime if anything here piques your interest then feel free to use it!

Part 2

[lucagray813]

One Word Prompts - Chapter 6

Rating: T Word Count: ~1,264 Characters: MK, Sandy, Mei Summary: Short, reflective stories for a variety of LMK characters CW: PTSD

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MK - Burn

For an inextinguishable, interdimensional flame, capable of burning the fabric of reality, the Samadhi Fire hadn't really done a lot of, y'know, burning.

You'd think at the very least there would have been some singed clothes or reddened skin from being in the literal blast zone when the fire was released but no one had been physically worse for wear as a result of the fire itself.

Not even him, and he'd literally run head first into it to reach Mei!

But now, only days after the event, he'd realised he hadn't come out of that terrible experience unscathed.

At first, the aches and pains and exhaustion from saving the world had been so severe that he hadn't been able to do much more than sleep - only waking up when Pigsy physically roused him and forced him to eat something. And then, once he had been up and about, he had dived head first into helping with the restoration efforts.

So it had taken a little while to realise that the strange discomfort he was feeling whenever he stopped for a moment was more than just the remnants of his harrowing adventure or the result of overworking.

But while it was a discomfort during the day when he had plenty to keep him busy, at night he began to writhe as he burned from the inside out.

And as he felt invisible flames scorch everywhere and no where inside him, he knew without a doubt that it was the Samadhi Fire's doing.

But even after everything he'd been through and his big talk about being a team, he hadn't found the courage to tell the others.

It wasn't too bad he told himself - he could mostly ignore it during the day and it saved him from nightmares at night. And who's to say it wouldn't go away all by itself if he just ignored it?

To the surprise of no one, it did not go away all by itself.

It was equally unsurprising that his various attempts to quell the fire by himself did nothing either. But in hindsight, treating it like a fever or some normal sickness was always doomed to fail. As was messing about with his magic but in his sleep deprived state, he really had thought he was onto something by just trying to force the magic out.

Ultimately, he could only be grateful Pigsy had been keeping such a close eye on him and had caught him tossing and turning and grimacing in pain one night before forcing the truth out of him.

He had then been unceremoniously dragged in front of Monkey King and, after a bit of back and forth with Nezha and the Demon Bull Family, a remedy had quickly been found.

He'd already known that the Samadhi Fire was no ordinary flame but he hadn't fully appreciated that it was an ancient, eldritch power that obeyed no law and burned however it saw fit.

It had set his magic alight and there was no telling what the consequences could have been had it not been caught when it had.

He had been lectured to within an inch of life, and rightly so, but he hadn't been the only one to face everyone's ire. Because, as it turned out, he hadn't been the only one keeping burning secrets.

Although, arguably Mei experiencing the internal burning of the Samadhi Fire was of even greater cause for concern.

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Sandy - Weight

Sandy was exceptionally grateful that his friends were so accepting of his aversion to violence. That they let him play a much more supportive and defensive role during fights, even when he was clearly capable of so much more.

But the fact he had to fight at all still weighed on him.

He constantly had to remind himself that fighting he did now as a hero, was not the same as the fighting that he'd finally walked away from.

He was protecting people. He was saving the world. He was doing it for this greater good.

And not because it was all he'd ever been good for.

The Scroll of Memory had made it harder to believe that.

Whether his ancestor or his previous life, his time as Shā Wùjìng had reinforced the idea that violence was in his blood, or worse was in his very soul. And it was a hard thing to reconcile with.

His nightmares had become so bloody and violent that he couldn't tell his own memories apart from Shā Wùjìng's, where one of them started and the other ended.

But the worst of it was the thrill of it. Of how right it felt to be on the battlefield. To draw first blood and be the last one standing.

He didn't want to fight.

He didn't want to be that monster again.

But some days it felt all but inevitable that he would.

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Mei - Legacy

With the Lady Bone Demon defeated, and the Samadhi Fire used up in the process, the day had been well and truly saved but she knew it would take some time before any of them fully recovered from the ordeal.

Staring in the mirror, she tried to find signs that she had changed. A piece of the Samadhi Fire had apparently been with her for her whole life, after all - shouldn't she be able to feel its absence? Shouldn't she feel different now?

She wasn't sure she did.

Sometimes she thought she felt flames on her skin or a burning in her heart but she was sure that was all in her head - just remnants of terror that refused to let her go.

She wondered if there had been any signs she had missed growing up? Maybe the fire had been the reason she had excelled at aggressive or powerful dragon abilities but had utterly failed with any that required restraint or finesse? Had it bolstered her magic? Would she be weaker now without it?

Only time would answer those questions about her strength but the question of whether she could have known sooner was one she struggled with.

Because it wasn't just her that would have missed those signs - it would have been every family member before her too, those that had carried the flame and those that had been close to them.

She'd been reluctant to bring up anything to do with the Samadhi Fire with her parents at first but eventually the need to know combined with feeling that her family deserved to know about the horrifying power they'd been carrying for generations won out.

It required being more honesty about what she'd been through than she would have liked but she'd done her best to downplay what a harrowing experience it had truly been.

It had clearly been a shock to both of them and, after reassuring themselves that she was alright and cursing out Monkey King for all he was worth, they immediately got to work seeking answers - asking the extended family, going through the archives and reviewing family memories.

There was some record of the Samadhi Fire ritual as told by Áo Liè but he apparently hadn't been too concerned about the whole thing, barely even mentioning he'd been singed by a wayward flame during a "little whoops-a-daisy".

They'd been able to make some educated guess about the route the fire had taken through the family tree but it didn't bring anyone much peace.

Just a frustration that there must have been signs that had been missed and an anger that such a curse had been placed upon their family.

--Chapter End--

A/N: The first two prompt suggestions came from @youre-awesome96! Thank you again! I struggled with the Sandy one for a bit and I definitely could have dug deeper into it but I think the gist is there! Really got me thinking tho!

If you'd like to suggest a prompt - just pop a character and a one word prompt in the comments or in an ask and I'll do my best to get to it!

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