1karuga

[1karuga]

～

～～

All I hear are SCREAMS

Every time I dare to close my eyes

I no longer dream

Only nightmare of those who’ve DIED

Nothing’s what it seems ～ NOTHING’S WHAT IT SEEMS

And here in the underworld, the past SEEMS close behind

THE TRUTH AREN’T ONLY LIKE THESE

* this land confuses your mind *

WHEN

DOES A MAN BECOME A MONSTER

THERE HAVE 49 LIVES, WHO DIED WHEN YOU LOST CONTROL

＊ 558 men, who died under your command ＊

EXPLAIN ! TO US ! GIVE US ! REASON !

* CAPTAIN ! CAPTAIN ! CAPTAIN ! CAPTAIN ! *

WHY DON’T FOLLOW YOUR DESTINY WHEN YOU KNOW THAT’LL BECOME ——

* Why would you let the cyclops live When ruthlessness is —— *

——THIS

* ——Mercy *

Bonus :

Episode 2: Reality Illusion Memory - Part 6

|| Masterpost || Chapter 1 Page List || Next Chapter ||

This also fulfilled a dream of mine. I wanted to make an animatic of underworld saga before, but I was too lazy to even start. And the changed lyrics can also match the syllables.

[1karuga]

[1karuga]

The Tragedy of Bull King, Red Boy and Princess Iron-Fan

me: does a poll for people to vote on between the Daoist Mi Lore or Kingdom of the Flowing Sand rats Also me: alright imma write about something else entirely

I will be tackling the Bull King's Family lore according to Black Myth Wukong, since the devs did change some things from the original JTTW books + my own interpretation and thoughts. You can find my other posts under the Black Myth Rambling tag

TW: Rape, forced childbirth, suicide

Will be abbreviating some names or calling them by a different name: Bull King = BK Princess Rakshasi = Princess Iron Fan Sun Wukong =SWK Red Boy = RB Mount Lingshan = Western Heaven Celestial Court = Eastern Heaven Taishang Laojun (the furnace guy) = TSLJ Keeper of the Flaming Mountain = furnace boy

I will try my best to tell all of this in chronological order to make sense of the timeline. Some events it is not very clear if it happened before or after this and that, so I listed them up in the order that I think it happened.

Some Backstory:

Both the Yaksha Kingdom and Kingdom of Rakshasa were destroyed by Mt. Lingshan

In the past, the Yaksha King was betrayed by the celestial beings, leading to the massacre of the royal family and the downfall of the Yaksha Kingdom. After the kingdom's collapse, the yakshas were forced into exile.

Yaksha Archer journal entry

When a formidable enemy attacked, the Yaksha King appointed Mi Yan as the vanguard general. [...] Despite their valor, the Kingdom of Yaksha was ultimately destroyed, but not a single soldier from Mi Yan's army deserted.

Red-haired Yaksha journal entry

Along with the fall of the Yaksha Kingdom, the Rakshasa Kingdom, due to their kinship with the yakshas, also met its end.

Thunder Rhino Master journal entry

From the Sea Rakshasa Journal entry:

from the entry, we gather that Princess Iron Fan was a princess of the kingdom of Rakshasa beyond the Western sea

Kingdom fell, they escorted the princess eastwards, and made a new home in the Flaming Mountains. Strongly assuming this all happened before fire rained down to the mountain from the furnace being kicked over by SWK

Princess Iron Fan is described to have a kind heart

After her eastward migration, Rakshasi had a new Daoist master in the Celestial Court. Practicing Daoism in Buddhism's stead, Rakshasi marked a departure from her past.

also from the Thunder Rhino Journal entry

From the Keeper of the Flaming Mountain Entry

he's a bitch and doesn't give a shit about human lives lol

also hazed Princess Iron Fan

calling him furnace boy because that was literally his job in heaven lol, fanning the furnace. the same furnace SWK was cooking in for 40 days

His master is TSLJ, introduces him to Princess Iron Fan. She is his new disciple, but also furnace boy's senior. He calls her 师姐 shī jiě, with jiě meaning 'older sister'.

which, he is not happy about. and then says well since she is the senior she should be fanning the furnace.

and Princess Iron Fan being the queen she is, goes alright bet and does her job.

does NOT tattle on furnace boy. instead asks for a bigger fan because the one the boy gave her is too small.

and old man gives her hher signature Iron Fan.

Enter SWK, who springs outta the furnace, and flames fell down to Earth creating the Flaming Mountain.

Furnace boy is demoted to Keeper of Flaming Mountains

Iron Fan volunteered to go to mortal realm to help him. what a queen he did not deserve her

he learns then that the princess already has a cave where she chills and loyal followers (the Sea rakshasa)

TSLJ arranged the marriage between her and BK

realizes no matter how many dirty works he does for TSLJ, his master will never think furnace boy is worthy to be with her LOL. even his master knows what a trash he is

So we know that Princess Iron Fan and BK got married after SWK jumped out of the furnace

Here is a pic of Princess Iron Fan. Ain't putting one of Furnace Boy because he doesn't deserve it

The Yaksha King Lore

2nd phase of the Red Boy final boss battle in chapter 5.

Journal entry does not talk about the RB though, rather talks about the Red Boy's bio father. yes folk that's right, BK is not his bio dad in BMW

Mt. Lingshan wages war against the Yaksha Kingdom. Mount Lingshan is where Buddha resides and the final destination of the pilgrims in JTTW to retrieve the scriptures.

Yaksha King's son, a baby, recently died. Father is still carrying the infant in his arms. The King himself is gravely wounded

creepy ass dude shows up and is like "yeah I can help you to carry on your royal line and save your son, trust me bro"

"Whether the Yaksha royal lineage continues or ends depends entirely on your decision today." [...]

they extract the dead baby's soul into a red lotus flower before it could enter the cycle of reincarnation

They also need the life and the water of child-bearing river in

The figure clapped, and a white-clad Daoist emerged from behind. The Daoist approached the Yaksha King, bowed, then sat cross-legged on the ground. He extended his hands above the boy's head and began to chant softly. Before long, a small, blood-red lotus flower emerged slowly from the boy's forehead, crystal clear and vibrant. The Daoist carefully plucked the lotus and placed it into a bowl he carried. The Yaksha King fixed his unblinking gaze intently at the lotus. The figure said, "This red lotus is the essence of your son's soul. To ensure it does not dissipate before successful reincarnation, we will need your life and the water from the River of Childbearing."

White figure is Furnace Boy and his master is TSLJ. probably also what furnace boy refers to doing his master's dirty work

This is the same way Red Boy kills himself at the end of chapter 5, thus ending the royal Yaksha lineage

Here is an image of Red Boy

Princess Iron Fan was forced to drink the child-bearing water and give birth to the Red Boy

BK and SWK are sworn brothers, and he aids him fighting against the court, before SWK rebellion in heaven and was buried under a mountain for 500 years

We learn in the chapter 5 ending animation, that she was forced to drink from the water and give birth to Red Boy. BTW Highly recommend watching the ending animation

The way I understood this scene is that if it wasn't SWK, none of this would have happened, hence I believe they forced her to do it as a punishment for BK and probably to also keep his family in check

Princess Iron Fan says herself that carrying and giving birth to this child gave her a lot of pain, toppled with the fact that her husband doesn't really look at her anymore and pretends he doesn't know about Red Boy's origin and just overall keeps his distance. They still had a good relationship though as father and son

She still loved Red Boy very much and raised her like a son

"I ordered you to raise a child, but I did not ask you to be a true mother. Let the boy stir his trouble; as long as you and your husband stay out of it, you will be safe."

From Princess Rakshasi journal entry

Princess Iron Fan mentions that if the truth about Red Boy's origin gets exposed, the whole family is doomed. so yeah imo that's another thing pointing towards the court trying to control BK

This is also where Furnace Boy says that when Red Boy grows up, he is the living proof of the genocide that the Mount Lingshan committed ("He will be living proof... of the dark deeds of Mount Lingshan..")

TL;DR Western heaven destroyed the Yaksha and Rakshasa Kingdom, Eastern Heaven swooped in to claim the soul of the last Yaksha royal as blackmail material

BK has a fox lover, with him he conceives a child too: Pingping. We love Pingping, she has never done anything wrong in her life. We never meet the "real" Pingping in the game rip

Gang arrives, SWK wants to borrow the Iron Fan to get rid of the fire (his fault they rained down there btw LOL)

Princess Iron Fan was ready to hand out cause she knows if she doesn't there will be problem

Bull King cannot decide whose side to pick, which I guess demonstrate his indecision here, and also no choice is still a choice, which in turn turns into a bad one in this case here

Red Boy says no fuck that you can't have it. gets his ass beaten by monkey, and is then sent to be a disciple under Guanyin along with Black bear guai

Princess Iron Fan seeing her sweet sweet boy beaten refuses to hand out the fan now, gets attacked by the King.

The fox mistress is killed by Zhu Bajie

SWK tells him he should find a master to serve

BK pissed at how his wife and mistress were treated, lashes out.

Heavenly Court gets involved in the battle, Nezha subdues BK and beheads BK but don't worry he is not dead

BK is taken to heaven, converts to buddhism, serves heaven and then returns home

Pingping lives with Princess Iron Fan

enter the happy family era

From that day on, the Bull King's temperament changed drastically. His former wild and unrestrained nature was no longer seen. He declined all invitations, ceased his travels, and instead stayed in Flaming Mountains, helping Rakshasi with household affairs and training the bull soldiers, living a very peaceful life.

Bull King journal entry

red boy then also returns from Guanyin and they live happily together as a family of four for some time being

The he get summoned by the court to fight against SWK. by that tiem SWK has already attained buddahood, realized it's not for him and went back to Mt Huaguo. The heaven was not happy about that

SWK warns BK to not absorb the artifact, because that will fuck him up.

BK swallows the artifact, becomes depressed

At some point Red Boy also learns the truth about his origin, and demands the BK give him the artifact so he can take revenge on Heaven and avenge his bloodline

BK refuses

Red Boy wages war against BK

he also knocks out Pingping so he can take her form to mess with SWK and get the artifact from BK

and then pretty much everything from Chapter 5 happens, Red Boy's army fighting against BK's Army. BK himself is sitting depressed on the mouintain, injured and looking very skinny. We defeat Red Boy, BK spits out the artifact, Red Boy was not defeated and gets the artifact and aborbs it, turning into the Yaksha King

MEANWHILE our QUEEN Rakshasi tries to get help from her master and Buddha to stop the fight between father and son

she went to her master TSLJ, who is a dick and said. just let them do whatever, didn't ask you to raise the kid as your own son anyway. You just needed to give birth

she knows her son well and knows that the only way the siege would end is if he would die

Then goes to Mt Lingshan, to get revenge, carrying her fan, but she was not able to get revenge and is laughed at by everyone

A booming laughter echoed, deafening. Within that laughter, she heard the cries of an infant, the innocent giggles of a child, the roars of an adolescent, and the cycle of blooming and withering flowers, the growth of grass and the flight of orioles over millennia. She heard the embers extinguishing in the Flaming Mountains.

From her journal entry

so she senses that her son lost the battle or is close to death, so she rushes back home, like the fantastic mom she is

You can watch the cutscene here starting at 28:30 - highly recommend watching it to the end

She is begging DO to spare her son's life, and in return, she and her whole family will go into secluded meditation (exile?) and he can have her fan

Red Boy, refusing to be shackled and chained again, kills himself the same way the Yaksha King killed himself

we still get to keep the iron fan LOL

My thoughts and rambling: This whole family story is one fucking tragedy after another. Princess Raskshasi / Iron Fan, who lost her kingdom, moved east and then was used as a pawn by her master. Firstly wed to the Bull King and then forced to give birth to Red Boy - and suffered much pain carrying giving birth to Red Boy. It's never explained why her master set her up to marry the Bull King, but given how everyone in the famils is used as chest pieces, I strongly assume it is also a way to control BK.

Unconfirmed but this is the timeline I pieces together in TL;DR

SWK jumps out of the furnace

Princess Iron Fan follows Furnace Boy to the mortal realm. Is set up to marry Bull King

Bull King aids SWK in fight against the Court

SWK loses against Buddha of the West, is buried under the mountain

Princess Iron Fan has to drink the pregnancy water and gives birth to Red Boy

They used his wife as punishment for his action

While it doesn't sounds like it is a marriage out of love (which, to be fair not a lot of marriages back then were), I do think that both Bull King and Princess Iron greatly cared for each other. I'd say even boldly that Princess Iron Fan cared more LOL because Bull king had a mistress with whom he had a child. It can be argues that because he knows Red Boy is not his, he seek solace in the arms of another woman (and then has another child with her.

Princess Iron Fan has like every reason to turn into an evil stepmother or bitter woman, but she didn't.

Bull king has never made a right choice in his life, according to SWK

SWK and BK vs the Court

SWK and the court vs BK

the court and BK vs SWK

And the Red Boy... last of his lineage and used as a pawn by the court. Also interesting to note that in his design, he looks half "human" half bull, with his lower half being the bull part.

Overall another tragic love story in BMW.

And that's it from me, thank you for reading!

[1karuga]

How it feels

[1karuga]

Erlang Shen in Traditional Chinese Painting Pt. 1

Searching the Mountains (搜山图) for yaoguais is a classic theme in Chinese traditional painting starting in Southern Song Dynasty. It exists in several versions featuring different commanders, and a major category is Erlang Searching the Mountains. One of its best preserved copies is by Lu Zhi (陆治), dated to the 16th century during the Ming Dynasty and currently owned by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. The painting is on a silk scroll with a dimension of 61 x 806 cm (24 x 317 inches). As it's impossible to fit the entire painting in one frame here, below are the sections with Erlang (Fig. 1) and his hound, Xiaotian Quan (Fig. 2).

Fig. 1. Toward the beginning (the far right side) of the scroll.

Here is one classic representation of Erlang Shen in traditional art, where he wears a three-peaked hat (三山帽), holds an unsheathed sword, and strikes a distinctive pose, now known as the Erlang pose (二郎腿).

The three-peaked hat signals authority and wisdom, given its broad associations with nobility, Daoism, and scholar-officialdom. This is an interesting and intentional substitution for the helmet, as Erlang Shen is otherwise in a full suit of armor here.

The sword has become a staple in Erlang's image since his absorption into Daoism, where swords signal character and status, serving a more ritualistic than pragmatic purpose.

"Erlang pose" is commonly used in everyday speech to refer to any crossed-leg postures with only one foot on the ground, and it carries a connotation of casual confidence. Many native Chinese speakers are not consciously aware of its origin, just as native French speakers might not know that numbers like 86 (quatre-vingt-six) are remnants of the vigesimal (base-20) system.

The page on Erlang's right-hand side holds his hunting bow, and the guard to the page's right holds Erlang's spear. Other non-human-looking figures surrounding Erlang are part of his troop.

It is worth noting that Erlang's troop is called Grassroots Gods (草头神) because they are not formally enlisted in the Celestial Court but are recognized by Erlang. One could say that they, including Xiaotian, might've been considered yaoguais if not for Erlang. This might be why in Black Myth: Wukong, the game maker combined different lores to have Erlang's sworn brothers mentioned in JTTW be the yaoguais he previously subdued in Investiture of the Gods. As such, in the portrait section of the BMW journal, their names appear under Characters rather than Yaoguais.

This detail may open up many interpretations. For one, it shows Erlang's attitude toward yaoguais isn't simply antagonistic and the boundaries between yaoguais, humans, immortals, and gods are more fluid. Looking beyond Black Myth: Wukong's framing, the very concept of grassroots gods suggests that Erlang Shen believes in true merits—yaoguais who harm humans need to be subdued, while those who do good or are willing to redeem themselves can ascend to godhood. This is quite different from viewing yaoguais as inherently evil and untrustworthy, and is consistent with Erlang's traditional depiction as unconventional and charismatic.

Fig. 2. Toward the end (the far left side) of the scroll.

Xiaotian Quan is depicted as a white sighthound in this painting (Fig. 2). The beautiful women in the foreground are yaoguais, and their paws are showing under their gowns. This reflects another subtle rule in Chinese lore: yaoguais who look just like humans are more likely to be evil as they rely on disguises, while yaoguai-looking characters are more likely to be positive and even immortals or gods as they have nothing to hide with their true forms. It's a curious theory when you consider Sun Wukong's evolution in Chinese lore. His earliest depiction is as a lewd ape yao who often shows up as a white-robed scholar, but by the time of JTTW, he appears as a monkey throughout the story without needing or wanting to pretend to be a human.

[1karuga]

Wukong really needs a scene where he's emotional--whether it's anger or sadness--and there's some comfort, some reassurance, some relief for all those feelings rather than being bottled right back up and feeling ashamed for letting it all out.

Wukong blames himself for so many things that he had no control over and it's devastating to see.

He needs some comfort in the next season from the writers and I'm willing to do some 'against the Geneva Convention' activities in order to secure that if necessary.

I want wukong to go through emotional crisis without ignoring it or be interpreted in season 6 I always loved the angry and sad side of wukong

It's really interesting to me because wukong is such complex character and obviously bottles up alot of his negative emotions I want his anger and grief to be more explored in the show

I want to see his grief for the pilgrims finally be addressed why he doesn't want question why they're "back" why did he choose mk what's going on in his mind I want his emotions to finally explode

[1karuga]

"I saw the Sun! The chaos! And the freedom! And I still came back! I'm done trying to be a hero..."

That line was what cemented Xiangliu (or Zhuanglun) as my favorite villain. He's just a fantastic character and I wish that I could see more about his backstory along with how he tried to escape in the previous cycles.

But I saw this guy and I needed to draw him because I can rarely find any fan art or even fanfictions featuring (or much less centered around) him which is slightly disappointing.

That's alright though because it doesn't make him any less of a good character.

Anyways, I had an idea awhile back where I imagined a story centered around MK and Xiangliu. In this one Xiangliu meets MK at the end of a previous cycle and they travel together to find the stones while Xiangliu tries his best to convince MK to not sacrifice himself, or at the very least, to postpone that for as long as he can.

It'd be kinda hard to write because figuring out Xiangliu's personality would be a challenge due to the lack of time he spent on screen. But, y'know, it's not that bad.

Regardless, Xiangliu is great and he def needs some more love and attention. I hope that he gets a chance in the spotlight in season 6.

[1karuga]

mk finds the demon core

[1karuga]

LMK Story Prompts & Ideas + AUs

What if Sun Wukong and Macaque just had an intense and borderline irrational hatred for each other?

Two Sides of a Coin AU

Whenever they see each other, they scowl.

When close to one another, they gag.

And if--heavens forbid--they have to talk, they converse through insults, taunts, and gritted teeth.

Honestly, the idea of just leaning into their inability to have a non-emotionally charged conversation with each other is hilarious to me, especially if they're just built in a way so that they click together so flawlessly.

In almost every aspect, such as fighting prowess, strategy, and even personality they work together with a synchronicity rarely found... but they can't bear eating at the same table.

And despite how much they don't like each other, they have built a tight bond together out of trust and respect...always trusting that the other will always have their back no matter how dire the situation is.

Though, this was before the Journey to the West.

After Wukong killed Macaque, their bond was broken. So there was nothing much was left of that respect and trust that kept hatred from being all that was left of their relationship.

And even so, the two of them are still like two haves of a whole, and despite all of their animosity they do have a desire to get back that feeling of being unstoppable that was present whenever they were together...

[1karuga]

LMK Story Ideas & Prompts + AUs

I have a bunch of ideas for AUs and various plots that like to bounce around my head like screensavers, so I'd rather share them online to maybe entertain or help give ideas to anyone that might like what I'm posting.

But this first idea is for an AU that I've been expanding on extensively for a while. It's a universe where after attaining Buddhahood, the Jade Emperor managed to trick Wukong and seal the Great Sage away in a realm hidden between the Mortal and Spirit Realm.

MK still becomes the Monkey King's Successor because he can wield the staff and has the Monkey King's power, but he never physically meets him and can only see him in dreams. But to expand on that idea, MK had dreams of meeting the Monkey King before the plot starts and is a huge part of his backstory then MK stopped having those dreams for years only for them to reappear once he gets the staff but they're not as clear as they used to be.

So with the staff in hand and the Monkey King's powers, MK decides to try and find a way to free the Monkey King and goes on a journey with his friends (and Red Son whom they forcefully take along) to find a way to break the seal trapping the Great Sage in the Hidden Realm.

This AU is going to also take some creative liberties with the addition of the spirit realm and its inhabitants, Erlang Shen is present and a major player in the story (along with his relationship with Sun Wukong), then Macaque is also very different from how he is in the canon.

There's also Guanyin, wrecking shop in the Demon Realm, a whole heist plot in the Celestial Realm, Nezha content, and just a lot of stuff concerning MK's backstory which will be the same but kinda different from canon.

I could honestly write an entire lore dump on this AU honestly, but that's because I'm a sucker for worldbuilding. I'll be posting more of these AUs every once in a while, or talking about story ideas that could be interesting, or expanding on anything if it's interesting enough.

I'd love to hear what y'all think, whether it's more info on this AU or anything else. So if you would like a Part 2... just let me know (⁠人⁠ ⁠•͈⁠ᴗ⁠•͈⁠)

[1karuga]

My goodness, I'm so happy to see something about a crossover between LMK and Black Myth, I mean... there's so much appeal...

Hello!

I am finding myself with a tough decision, I am writing a story inspired by a fascinating idea from @jedineedlove

In summary: it’s a crossover between Black Myth: Wukong and Lego Monkie Kid. However, the Sun Wukong in LMK is actually The Destined One from the game, but is posing as Sun Wukong due to a feeling of obligation from all the mistakes the king has made, and more.

Anyway, what I’m struggling with is the physical differences between the two monkeys. I’m someone who has been reading the books long before the game came out(because of LMK), watched LMK, and has played Black Myth: Wukong. There are a few differences between the three. I’ve decided to go with a mash from all three, but I’m stuck on fur color for The Destined One.

I know I want Sun Wukong’s to be the same as it is in LMK, but I also want The Destined One’s to be different. Sure, he’ll hide it with glamours later anyway, but still. I am thinking either a less saturated amber orange(closer to LMK) or silver in a sense(closer to the game). I love both honestly and I’m struggling. So if anyone wants to put in their opinion on whichever they like, or even a new idea, that would be wonderful!

[1karuga]

Just wanted to draw Macaque. I feel like there is so much potential for some psychological horror with this guy being able to trap people within the shadows.

But seriously, imagine his lantern being similar to the Calabash or Li Jing's Pagoda, or perhaps a mix of both, and tormenting those trapped within with illusions of not their greatest fears but of how they fear dying.

It's like the Hundred-Eyed Demon's ability but far more painful in a sense. I think that'd be neat :D

Plus it might be cool to possibly be able to incorporate the eighteen levels of Hell into this as well since Macaque would have quite the connection to Diyu (through him probably being in there for a long time and I bet he had quite a bit of torture inflicted on him in the various hells as well, so that would have a huge impact on him).

[1karuga]

Not too long ago I was inspired to draw the Monkey King since I love Sun Wukong, his charming design in LMK, and his awesome armor and staff design in Black Myth Wukong.

I'm not all that great at drawing armor but it turned out better than I expected. Have a good day (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)