digitaldoeslmk - Tumblr blog

[digitaldoeslmk]

fandom etiquette reminders

gentle reminder that people do not have to like/ship the popular ships in a fandom. widely popularized ships do not equal canon ships and even if they were, people are allowed to have different pairings they prefer. if one fandom creator popularized things, it does not mean that every single other creator has to also do that thing.

please be respectful and considerate of the people making free content for your enjoyment as well - you never know whats going on on the other end of the screen to cause an author to not upload a new chapter or why the artist hasn't posted new art in three weeks. their boundaries are just as important as anyone else's and deserve to be respected as a basic human right.

if you're a minor, do not participate in 18+ spaces! this is for your safety as well as the safety of everyone else. if anyone over the age of 18 insists its okay for you to participate in nsfw topics with them, run. be careful with what you're posting online, too. you never know who has ill intent when interacting with you.

be also incredibly mindful that not everyone wants to participate in fandom discourse. proship/antiship discourse, ship wars, "what are your thoughts on [insert problem here]", - these are good and fun in their own respects, but can be incredibly distressing if brought up out of nowhere.

fandom is supposed to be for fun, and it isn't fun if its stressful and dangerous.

[digitaldoeslmk]

Haven’t been able to draw for weeks but suddenly I just wanted to make fanart of my silly little Uncle wukong AU

[digitaldoeslmk]

wukong would say skill issue we all know it

[digitaldoeslmk]

i think what i love most about btb wukong is that the only real reason he can't intervene to beat the shit outta demons if mk is in over his head is because he can't. no shots at lmk, but i really really hate that he didn't do a lot simply because he was retired.

thank you sm, i rly appreciate that!!

the thing about having an All-Powerful Character in any narrative is, explaining why they can't resolve any conflict. it's the age old "why don't use magic to fix XYZ?" but attatched to a character, and usually you need a somewhat passable reason that doesn't make them off to be stupid, wimpy, infuriatingly selfish, or a combination of the previous. and i'll be honest, LMK is really missing out on using the Heavenly Bureocracy to its fullest when it comes to that and so many other issues in their meta!

why can't Wukong or Erlang or Nezha or whoever fix everything? can't, against the rules, sorry. hell, maybe make it more heavy handed if we're gonna reference Fengshen Yanyi (Investiture of the Gods)! "Trust me kid, when gods start intervening in mortal affairs, you know shit has REALLY hit the fan. Like, it's time to redo the entire heavenly investiture levels of shit and fans. So uh, let's not hope that this is that kind of situation."

[digitaldoeslmk]

hello kiddos! tis my birthday! :D

ive been struggling mentally an awful time this year, which has made me slow down on commissions and thus my finances are slowly unravling before my eyes as i continue to struggle with job hunting. im not in any danger of anything but hey, if anyone want to send some bucks my way so i can treat myself i'd appreciate the gesture <33

as little as 3USD and i can share a beer with my irls at least TvT

[digitaldoeslmk]

okay but, is he tho?

did i miss some lore drop or smth, cus i think that's just fandom theory as of now, no?

[digitaldoeslmk]

been a while since ive made a post here, huh? don't worry tho, I notice every single note I get from here, and i appreciate them all, especially the nice tags!

it also means, I see all you minors following me despite me making it VERY CLEAR that I am uncomfortable with you guys following me.

so from now on, it's a permaban for every minor I catch following me. don't care who you are or who you think you are, boundaries are boundaries.

[digitaldoeslmk]

ART COMMISSIONS

hello everyone!! looking for some spring commissions?? im your bird! please check my info on the link below! :DD

[digitaldoeslmk]

So much history you weren't present for

[digitaldoeslmk]

New Year Festival Together

- lil mei +mk ✨

[digitaldoeslmk]

doodles I did on the school computers bc I didn't want to do hw💃

[digitaldoeslmk]

Hey Lego Monkie Kid fandom I think you might be interested in this thing: @jttwaudiodrama

Have you ever wanted to experience Journey to the West but you don’t like any currently available English translation? Or maybe your attention span doesn’t like reading books that are that long? Or maybe you don’t get all the cultural references and want them explained so you can fully understand what’s going on?

Well now’s your chance!

It’s a group of people dedicated to translating JTTW as accurately as possible while providing a really nice audio version! And if you become a patron (a very worth it deal if you ask me) you get access to their production notes which discuss the translation choices they made and the cultural significance of characters/places/themes and so much more!

I want to be clear I’m not affiliated with them in any way but I really like this podcast and want to spread the word about it! I’ve been a fan of JTTW for a long time now but have never found a translation I liked or that provided the context I needed to fully enjoy the story until I found The Fifth Monky version. I’m aiming this specifically at the LMK fandom because I’ve been watching it for the first time and getting the references to the original story has been a blast that I basically owe to this podcast!

TLDR: there’s a really cool new translation of JTTW currently being produced in podcast form from The Fifth Monkey.

[digitaldoeslmk]

LMK if it was a video game (based off totk/botw)

[digitaldoeslmk]

OOOOOOUGHHHHGGHGBJHBJFBJJHBDEJHAHGVHAD OH MYGOOOOOOD LOOKITHIM!!!!!!

WAAAAAH I'M SO FLATTERED!!!! LOOK AT THE SCRIMBLIRINI, HE'S SO CUTE!!!!!

Hihihi the model is based on that art from @digitaldoeslmk's AU. It was supposed to be a full 2D to 3D reconstruction but that would mean not breaking the mesh ANYWAY LOOK AT THE SCRIMBLO IM SO PROUD OF IT

[digitaldoeslmk]

for context, i'm not leaving until this website refuses to let me log in

but if you want, i have bsky and cohost, come find me there too

[digitaldoeslmk]

the "canon isn't real we make our own rules" to "i am begging you people to revisit the source material" pipeline

[digitaldoeslmk]

Name

Author note: Finally finished this story! This one is for @digitaldoeslmk AU lmk by the book. Featuring their OC Zhenfu and mine. No warnings on this. Enjoy!

The sound of waves rolling onto the beach, the gentle breeze, the warm sun on her fur reminds Zhenfu of Puppet. Calm, peaceful, and safe, this small hideaway made her feel at home compared to the vast manor she grew up. Surrounded by walls, darkness, thousands of eyes on her and the looming threat around the corner. But here, despite the small home and the lack of luxury that’d fit for her status and station. She wouldn’t trade it, nor would she trade Puppet for her father back.

It’s been months, or was it a year? She wondered. Since Mk sealed her father away, the six ear Macaque, the man who was there, but wasn’t there. Always busy, always absent, only there during her fumbles. Rarely handed praise and eagerly delivering punishments; for her own good, he added.

Her childhood has always been lonely and short-lived, growing up too fast among his horde, his commanders, Lady Bone Demon, and his puppet. Puppet a weapon made for bloodshed and thirsty for blood like a feral rabid dog. Teeth bared at anything and everyone one.  

‘View it as a guard dog’, her father commented to her one day after she witnessed first hand of what it was capable of. ‘it’s here to protect you but it’s incapable of loving you, unlike me.’ Zhenfu remembered that day and how small she was, trembling from her father’s bitter touch who left her alone with it. 

And yet, it was the first warmth that’s been part of her life since she could remember, a plushie that no matter how hard she throws it or how venom drips from her mouth, it always comes back. A guard dog, yes, but more importantly, a nanny dog to her. Zhenfu thought that thing was following orders from her father; the hugs, the honey coated words, the spoils of affection, she thought it was an act. A role to fulfill while her father is absent. It never loved her, but her father did. Until she realizes it was all lies on that day.

The day her life crumbled from her feet, how alone she was without her father, his horde, and his puppet, all abandoned or dead. Oh, how the heros celebrated the defeat of her father; all rushing to hug each other while she sat among the rubble, eyes on them. The sight of smiles, their tears, and words spoken as they all held onto each other dearly. She was once part of the group, even if it was all a lie. 

Finally, a taste of genuine community and love only to have it ripped away from her arms like how her father did with her beloved plushie as a little girl. So small, so lost, so helpless, and so very alone. Then, all eyes were on her, so many eyes with thoughts of what to do with her. Hateful, hesitant eyes and mummers of what to do to hear, how to dispose of her. She remembered how she barely kept herself from crying. Warriors don’t cry; a lesson father drilled into her, even when she so badly wanted to. Someone stepped forward with a hand to reach for her and-

“There you are Zhenfu, sunbathing in the sands again, I see.” A voice broke her thoughts and suddenly she’s back on the beach again. Puppet placed a hand on her shoulder, smiling down at her; a once rare, but daily, occurrence now.

“Hi…” she replied, her orange eyes looking up into their brown eyes, eyes she hasn’t seen that color before their change; their transformation from human to yaoguai monkey, like her, but is it really fair to compare a puppet to a human? She thought so, but now, after everything? Her hands fiddle her braids, grounded and out of her head, her eyes cast down to her notebook in her lap. Words jolted down, thoughts, feelings, plans, and a goal.

Names scribbled and crossed out one after another in her notebook, the reason she’s out here at the beach resting under the shade. This place, in a way, reminds her of Puppet and the hopes inspiration will strike. Puppet needs a name, a real name, not the one her father forced on it. No, them; they are not a cold, heartless object, but a living being who always gave her the best hugs. Zhenfu never heard their real name and after all these years, there is a good chance Puppet doesn’t even remember their name either. Puppet has done so much, give so much, even when heaven demanded her for familial connections to her father, they bare their teeth and been on the run for her. She never realized they’ll go to such lengths for her, she’ll find a name that fit them. A perfect name for them, and the growing dread of them if they reject the name. Reject her.

“Is something the matter?” they ask. 

“Just...just thinking about something, but I’ll let you know once I’m done.” She said with a chirp and a smile. “This place is helps. I feel safe here.” Her eyes moved to look at the vastness of the ocean. The waves gently roll onto the sands and the distant sound of gulls’ cries.

 They hum, “That’s good and I’ll patiently wait for that something.” Their eyes, soft and full of loved to her, only her, stared out into the ocean. “I need to travel into town. I’ll be back before sundown.” Puppet said, eyes back on her. They give her a reassuring smile when her smile drops. “I promise to be back by sundown, or I’ll pick up Dragon’s Beard Candy. How does that sound?”

“You promise?”

“Promise.”

“Good, come back late.” Zhenfu said her smile returned and her ears twitched at the sound of Puppet’s laughter before they pat her shoulder. Alone again with her thoughts and her scribbled in notepad on the cozy beach. She’ll have time to think while they’re out. All she has to do is write on the pages. Just think of a name, one that Puppet won’t reject and regret being with her or. Zhenfu puts her head in her hands and groans. Her tail thumped against the sand, her chest slowly and steadily rise and falls. A name, a fitting name, that it’s theirs and theirs alone. A name that won’t leave her. 

‘They have a vast qi like the ocean.’ She thought, eyes back on the ocean, but it wasn’t good enough for her or at least, there was something missing to add. They did so much, their love and compassion so vast despite everything that happened to them. Always holding her close and letting her listen to their heartbeat, the thrums reminded her that Puppet is alive and here. Zhenfu quickly opens her notepad to write; inspiration finally strikes. A name; vastness like ocean for their empathy, and heart for always keeping it open and loving; Haoxin. A perfect name for Puppet, for them. Now all she has to do is wait for their return. 

Plopping her back onto the warm sand, she gets herself comfortable and closes her eyes. A nap to unwind and reward for a job well done, she can commit to chores after. She sighs as the tension washes away and drifts off to sleep at the sound of waves.

“The bastard is dead and so must his kin,” a voice called out, drawing a sword and marching towards her. Even in her dreams, scenes of the aftermath haunt her. The figure grows and towers over her, all eyes everywhere on her, all chanting for her death. “No need for a trail. Heaven will execute her and have her head on a pike.” Her body can’t move, hands of the dead, those who died by her father, by her, hold her down. Zhenfu opens her mouth to object, but more hands stop her and forces her to stare at the executioner. Smiling down at her as he reaches forth to grab her, sounds of crackles and sparks in the air. 

“Zhenfu.” She’s jolt awake and on her feet, Puppet staring at her with a box in hand and the sun already set. 

“Um…I..” grabbing her braids, hands playing with it to the point it frays. “I…” her shoulder slumps and head is down. Something small and white catches her eye, she blinks, and it was gone. ‘Must be a spirit’, she thought. “You’re late.” She mumbles, attention back to the older monkey beside her.

“I am.” They said, their voice low and soft. “And I kept promise.” They shake the box, sweets rustle inside. Their eyes drift from her to the notepad still on the sand, then back to her again. “I know the nightmares are rough, but I’m proud you’re journaling. It helps just to get it out of your head and-”

“That’s not what I’m using it for.” she cuts them off and continues, “I…I..” Breath in, breath out. “I was writing down a name for you. I hate calling you Puppet and you deserve better, Haoxin!” Their breath hitch and Zhenfu pause.

“What did you just call me?” Their tone is incredulous and Zhenfu can feel her heart drop. She didn’t mean it to slip out and now they’re staring at her with disbelief. The name is stupid and stupid for thinking that they will even accept it, accept her. She can’t look, not with that face they’re giving her; brows shot up and mouth agape, the box of sweets slowly slipping from their hands.  They hate it and now they’ll hate her too; what was she thinking for even trying to name them? Zhenfu doesn’t have the right to give a name, much less without their permission. “How..how..” sand rustles beneath their feet and hands suddenly on her shoulders. “Zhenfu... please look at me.” She doesn’t want to, but a hand cups her cheek and she leans into it; finally she looks at them with tears.

Similarly, the two match with teary eyes, “How did you remember my name? I only said it when we first met.” Did they? Zhenfu never knew they had spoken their name before, Haoxin, to her or to anyone, for that matter. They have been a part of her life as far as she could remember, present since she was a baby. Her body quickly pulls against them, arms trapping her as they hold her close to their chest. The warmth, the familiar warmth, seeps into her like a blanket. The two stay quiet as they held each other. And when she’s carried liked all the countless times, carried into home and tucked into bed.  

The aftermath haunts her again, even nuzzled in Haoxin’s arms and chest. Placing her right back where the executor, a heaven’s official, was about to reach out to her calling for her head. Paralyzed and stricken with fear, the chants for her death grow louder with the distant sound of thunder. Thousands of hands, claws, and shadows all reach out from all angles. Zhenfu only has enough will to curl herself into a ball. The air cackles with sparks before a deafening sound and the earth rumbling with rage. She still doesn’t look up, not even when screams and the sound of blades clashing, or when sounds of flesh tearing. 

“I don’t care what you do to me,...” a voice booms, something white and very large brushes against her and Zhenfu cautiously peeks up; tattered, dirty clothes with blood smeared and dripping off a curved sword. The owner’s back facing her as they point their blade at the shocked eyes. Her body finally moves, and she rushes towards her protector, sobbing loudly as she clings onto them.  “.. but you’re not laying a hand on this child.” Haoxin declared with teeth, scooping her up with one arm, holding her close and protectively; much like a loving father for their daughter.