#It gets Tang Sandy and Pigsy trapped in the scroll

[imminent-danger-came]

Me thinks I am one of the few who really likes lmk's pacing

[generouskittentidalwave]

COMING IN TO STRANGLE THE FANDOM ONCE AGAIN, COME'RE AND SIT DOWN

WHAT ON EARTH IS UP with the fandom and not understanding friendship bonds? First Wukong and Tripitaka, and now Wukong's relationship with the main gang (not counting Mk) is being seen as Wukong desperately trying to make friends with ppl who don't want to be his friend WHICH IS FALSE ON SO MANY LEVELS THAT IT'S ACTUALLY INSULTING.

I'm THIS close to trapping you all UNDER A MOUNTAIN.

LISTEN, COME'RE COME OVER HERE FOR A MINUTE

Did Wukong make mistakes? Yes.

BUT THEY SHOWED CLEAR SIGNS THAT THE MAIN GANG SEES WUKONG AS A CLOSE FRIEND REGARDLESS.

Sandy already saw Wukong as a goof friend since the beginning, he made that one clear ever since he fully believed Wukong wouldn't just randomly steal immortal peaches.

Amnesia rules was when Pigsy and Tang had their bonding episode with Wukong, and in the end of it Pigsy said that Wukong isn't a bad mentor for Mk after all and Tang even hugged the monkey with tears in his eyes when they brought back his memories. Sure Pigsy was still distrustful, especially with Wukong talking about the rings, but his comment on Wukong's mentorship hasn't changed.

Mei and Wukong had a rough start I'll give you that, and it's easy to understand why, but people are forgetting that SHE LITERALLY TOLD HIM THAT HE IS HURTING THE ONES THAT CARE ABOUT HIM MOST. KEYWORD, "CARE ABOUT HIM MOST". Meaning they care A HELLA ALOT ABOUT HIM.

Yes do they call him out sometimes on things? yes. Does that make them any less friends with him? NO, NOT ONE BIT. Being friends doesn't exempt someone from being free from their problems and mistakes, just because you are friends doesn't mean everything gets pushed under the rug. Being friends is knowing about these problems and mistakes, but choosing to stay anyway because you know they are a good person that can slip up sometimes like everyone else, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THE GANG DOES WITH WUKONG.

Here's a funny lil teeny tiny thing that really makes this interesting is that- THEY LITERALLY WENT TOGETHER TO SAVE WUKONG FROM THE SCROLL. And do you wanna know what happened while they were IN the scroll? Together they established the fact that not only did the past gang see Wukong as a friend, with each giving him a shoulder pat of reassurance, but they also showed how they are not only part of the current current gang, but that the current gang backed up Wukong and stood by his side BECAUSE THEY ARE FRIENDS. And Wukong already has trust issues with making friends already because bro had past terrible relationships until the JTTW gang, and in that moment of reassurance from both his old friends and his new one's Wukong said "I won't let some curse bully me or my friend a second longer!" And that was the first time he really called them friends and they all worked together to stop the ink demon. The beautiful moment established the fact that they are all close friends.

And do you wanna know what sealed the deal on this? The big home run? At the end of the season 4 special, they all celebrated by having a beach party together, and do you know what they did right as Wukong showed? EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THEM GAVE HIM A SMILE, A GENUINE AND HAPPY SMILE.

Are they all perfect? No. Do they still have some things to work out? Yes. Are they all friends anyway? YES. Actually no, even more than that, THEY ARE *FAMILY*. Families and friendships aren't always going to be perfect, but that doesn't mean the friendship isn't there at all. The gang all sick together despite their flaws and few mistakes made not because they are forced too, but because THEY CARE ABOUT EACHOTHER AS FAMILY.

And THAT is what makes true friendship. That's how the current gang Wukong has befriended are ALL HIS BEST BUDS.

[botanicallyinclinednerd]

I have more for the epic inspired lmk au (which I'm calling A Blood Soaked Goodbye) The basics that I already came up with in other posts is that MK fights a villain, spares them in MK fashion, and one of his friends (it's Sandy) ends up dying because of it. MK recklessly fights the villain in another fight, but is still not trying to kill because he knows Sandy would not want that. Macky ends up dragging MK out of the fight cause he was going to get himself killed, which then leads to Wukong showing up and My Goodbye: a sunburst duo falling out occurs.

Now. New stuff.

After the falling out, MK's mental state is the worst it's ever been. And he keeps going monkey for longer and longer and acting all around cruel and cold and obsessed with destroying this villain. All in all, he's not acting like himself. If anything, he's acting like the ink version of himself from the scroll. And that's because whenever MK is in monkey form at this point, it isn't actually MK. He ends up taking a back seat and watching while this more ruthless monkey version of himself takes over. At first it's purposeful and willing on MK's part. He can't stand failing his friends and he needs Sandy's killer to be brought to justice and himself as he is just isn't enough. But the monkey form is stronger, and could do it. But then Monkey!MK decides to set a trap in the hopes of killing the villain. And it not only doesn't work, but there is collateral damage that includes Macaque and Red Son. (Macky was supposed to get a signal from MK at the first sign things were going wrong, but that signal never came. By the time he realized for himself that he needed to get Red Son out, all it did was cause them both to go down when he tried)

Mei confronts MK as he stands with his back to her, in monkey form. And like Eurylochus during Mutiny, Mei starts demanding that MK tells her she's wrong about her suspicion that MK deliberately let Macaque and Red Son die, and listing past events, past foes, where MK came up with these plans and was detertermined for all of them to make it home. But this time, he didn't stick to that plan. He was supposed to signal Macaque if things started to go sideways, if the villain started heading towards Red Son. He had ample time to signal, to warn them so Macaque could get them out, hell even a late warning would have been enough time, but he never warned them. "You just let them die! Say something!"

And finally, finally, Monkey!MK turns around to face Mei (and Pigsy and Tang who are huddled close together behind Mei) with crazed smile and with a mianical laugh tells her "I can't!"

Mei takes a half step back, staring in horror and disgust at MK this thing wearing her best friend's face. Her expression hardens as she draws her sword and points it at the monkey. "You're not MK." And she attacks.

I am imagining it in my head so clearly of MK, the real MK, in that line style that LBD would cause, watching in horror as his monkey form is relentlessly attacking Mei. Shes putting up a good fight, but Mei has to fight hard to be on equal footing with MK when they do friendly sparing, and this? This is not friendly. Mei might not be holding back, but neither is the monkey. And MK is frantically trying to get control back but he *cant* he's not strong enough. He opened the door with his grief and anger over losing Sandy and his falling out with Wukong and let that dark side of him take over, thinking it would enable him to destroy the villain. But all it has resulted in is more and more loss and heartbreak, and MK can not shut the door. Not on his own.

The fight is continuing and Mei is not doing so well. At this rate, he's going to kill her. Tang is watching all this and he knows he has to do something. And so when Monkey!MK knocks Mei down and is about to crush her skull with the monkey king staff, Tang acts, purely on instinct and fear.

MK gets skewered from behind by Tang and his magical staff. When this happens, his monkey form disappears and it's just *MK* again. And he turns to look behind him, at Tang who has taken a step back and is clutching a crying and horrified looking Pigsy's hand, and croaks out "Dads? Please..." (It's not "why" for this because MK KNOWS why) And Pigsy drops Tangs hand and rushes over to his boy, his son. (Perhaps Tang tries to grab for him and stop him out of fear, and Pigsy shakes him off with a "He's MK! That's my son," and goes for him anyway.) And MK is impailed by a stick that by all rights should not have been able to impail him, especially one weilded by Tang, but we'll pass that off as mystic stuff. MK is hurt and crying and HORRIFIED at what he'd done and almost done, and he's in control again and desperately doesn't want to lose that. He is able to convince Tang and Mei (who had gone over to stand at Tangs side and is leaning against him, injured but alive thanks to his actions) that he is their MK and that he had essentially been possessed by this monkey version and that is what got Macky and Red Son killed, as well as what just tried to kill Mei. Pigsy needs no convincing. Pigsy pulls MK into a hug as MK sobs and promises him "It's gonna be alright, son. We're going to figure this out, get you help. I love you, you understand? It's gonna be alright."

While Pigsy is keeping up this litany of love and reassurances, Tang carefully approaches MK and warns him that he's going to pull out his staff, since MK won't be able to heal from the injury with it still in there. And MK tearfully nods, still holding onto Pigsy, and Pigsy rearranges himself so he's a comfort to MK while out of Tang's way so he can pull it out.

After Tang removes his staff from MK, there's this thing like the quick thought that Athena does? Where MK is faced with Evil Monkey!MK.

"Choose."

MK stares at Monkey!MK, frightened and confused. "Choose?"

"Someone's gotta die today and you have got the final say. You? Or your family?"

MK's answer is immediate, lunging forward to grip the grinning monkey's forearms. "Me! I die! They live! My family lives."

And Evil Monkey!MK smiles, wide and sharp with far too many teeth. "Wrong answer," he whispers in MK's ear.

Back in real time, MK loses control to the monkey. Mei and Tang notice and both step back, alarmed, Mei tensing for another fight, but Pigsy hasn't noticed. He does notice that MK has gone rigid and he assumes it's from the pain of the staff being removed. "It's alright, MK. I'm here, I've got you, son."

Evil Monkey!MK slowly grins, making eye contact with Tang and Mei as he pulls one hand back behind him. Both of them, eyes wide, realize what is about to happen, yelling Pigsy's name. Mei lunges forward, her sword aimed at the monkey, and Tang raises his staff to cast a protective barrier around Pigsy. But they're not fast enough.

Monkey!MK's hand shoots out and he plunges his hand straight through Pigsy's chest. "Thanks, Dad."

Pigsy lets out a wet breathless wheeze of pain as the monkey wrenches his now blood covered hand back out, leaving Pigsy to collapse on the ground.

Mei processes what has just happened and loses it, striking at the monkey with an enraged scream. Tang rushed to Pigsy and holds his husband as he chokes on his blood and dies, his last words a gurgling "M...K."

MK is screaming inside his head, helpless to stop it as his body, his hands, murder his family. The monkey tears Mei apart and strikes Tang down when he shakily rises to his feet to try to protect the only family he has left. The monkey is bathing in the blood and entrails of MK's family, killing the last people in this world that he had left. If he was capable of coherent and reflective thought, he would realize that the villain that sent him on this dark path may have killed Sandy, but it was MK that killed the rest of them. They were, all of them, blood on his hands.

~~

This all started out as a Sunburst Duo falling out over My Goodbye. And it ends in a similar way. Wukong learns of the trail of carnage being left in the wake of a vicious monkey, and his first thought is a resigned "Macaque must have gone dark side again, damnit! I shouldn't have trusted him." And then he learns of Macaque's death, that he died trying to save Red Son, and no. It's not Macaque on a rampage. Wukong is in denial, even as this horrible pit of dread settles in his stomach. And with each discovery he makes, each body he uncovers, greater and greater violence behind each kill, Wukong's grief and anger and dread grows.

By the time Wukong comes across MK, it's not really a question anymore of what happened, only why.

Wukong goes about getting this information very subtlely. "Hey, Bud. Long time no see. Where's all your friends?"

Monkey!MK laughs, his tail swaying behind him. "I'm pretty sure you already know the answer to that one, Bud."

"MK. Where are your friends." Wukong repeats, his tone flat.

"They're all dead. They got in my way." He says with a little shrug. Wukong's heart sinks to his toes.

"What have you done?"

"I thought you would be proud," Monkey!MK says, a permanent smirk on his face.

"Proud? You murdered your friends, MK!" Wukong's face went through a complex myriad of emotions before adding, quieter, "you murdered our friends."

The monkey tilts his head at Wukong, smirk still in place but a small furrow forming at his brow. "You were the one that told me I had gone soft. I'm not, anymore. After you talked to me, after you left, I thought about what you said! And I get it now! I have to be ruthless to those that oppose me! I have to end them before they end me!"

"No. I didn't teach you that."

"What I did was mercy. Killing them before they could kill me."

So many protests in Wukongs mind "that's not mercy!" "They were your friends they would never kill you!" "What happened to you?" And what he eventually says out loud is: "You're not MK."

Monkey!MK throws his head back and laughs, a delighted sound that is out of place in the current situation. "That's exactly what Mei said!"

"Before you killed her?" Wukong asks, his voice sharp and dangerous.

"Nah, after." Seeing the look on Wukong's face, Monkey MK laughs, flapping an arm at him dismissively. "I'm joking, jeeze, lighten up!"

"You murdered your friends MK!" Sun Wukong thunders, rage radiating from him.

The smile drops from Monkey!MK's face. "What are you going to do, Monkey King? Kill me?"

Wukong reals back as if he's been struck. "What? No! I'm not going to kill you, MK."

The monkey features fade and it's MK, truly MK, speaking to Wukong. "You should kill me. I'm a monster, Monkey King. I murdered my friends. I-" MK cuts himself off, squeezing his eyes shut. "I deserve to die for what I did to them. Please, Monkey King, I want to die."

To make a long and tragic tale a bit shorter, while MK wants to die, the Monkey doesn't, and while Wukong certainly does not want to kill MK, in the end, he's not really given much of a choice.

Flash forward to some unspecified amount of time later. Wukong is on Flower Fruit Mountain, and he exits his house. He picks some flowers, seven, to be exact. He walks a little ways from his house where there are six grave stones in a row. First is Macaque. Wukong lays a flower at the base of the stone and brushes a gentle hand across Macaque' hand carved name. He lingers for a moment before moving to the next: Sandy. Another flower, another moment of silence. Mei. A flower, a sad pat of the stone. A second flower set next to hers for Red Son. (Red Son is not buried on Flower Fruit Mountain. His parents buried him themselves, and indeed, they end up decimating the villain that started this whole mess, killing them for killing their son.) Next is Tang. A flower. Pigsy. A flower.

Then, at the last grave, Wukong falters, as he always does when he reaches the 6th grave. With hands he pretends aren't shaking, he places a flower in front of MK's grave.

MK's words from the start of this whole mess echo in Wukong's head: "You're alone!" Wukong puts a hand on MK's headstone and whispers, "I am now, bud." And he breaks down sobbing because he is alone. He's alone again, and he did the one thing he was trying to avoid with his split from MK. Instead, it only caused MK to lose it and necessitate him having to put the kid down anyway. And there the Monkey King sits, sobbing in front of the grave of the kid so much like him, the kid that made him care again, the kid who gave him a family again. The kid he killed. There he sat, all alone, with only the dead for company.

[sweetpeathecat]

Things I liked/loved about LMK season 4(spoilers)

-the animation is awesome as always

-the writing is still super funny

- the comparisons between the JTTW pilgrims and the modern Monkie Kid crew. How the 2 group’s members have their own unique strengths and weaknesses. That one group is necessarily better than another. How the Monkie Kid crew learns from their counterparts.

-confirmation that Monkie Kid crew Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy are reincarnations of their JTTW counterparts

-Monkie Kid crew actually gets proper training.

- the motivations of the new antagonists. How it addresses and builds of the past antagonist’s motivation

-the new antagonists look cool and are fun to watch

-Azure Lion’s final design/outfit

-Monkie! MK!!!! I’ve been wanting this since I watch the “making of LMK franchise”. During the documentary, concept art of Monkie! MK was on the wall.

-how the scroll’s curse creates an ink embodiment of a person’s insecurities and regrets

-Ink Monkie! MK. He is so mean but sassy.

-the show finally addressed how little we actually know about MK. The due was a huge mystery when you really think about. (At least in the original English version of the show) “MK” is just a nickname and we don’t know his “real name”. Up until this season, we knew more about Mei than than the main character. The show up until this point, never addressed why MK was chosen as SWK’s successor, why he could lift the staff, why he came out of an STONE EGG in the pilot episode or why he as any of SWK’s powers.

- more of LMK’s version of JTTW

- more context on SWK’s past relationships. His dynamic with Azure Lion and Macaque are the most interesting to me. I like how Azure Lion said(I don’t fully trust him though. He did keep trapped SWK in scroll 📜 ) he want to patch thing up with SWK after his mission is done. Like he still hurt by SWK’s betrayal but still has a soft spot for him. In comparison Macaque seems more interested in getting revenge on SWK for his betrayal.

-we got to see Red Son and Prince Nezha again!

-DBK like a woman who can kick his ass 🤣. More information on PIF’s backstory.

-we got to see a a bit of Erlang Shen(but only in the opening)

- SWK made a geese shelter for that farmers lady. It’s a cute little details that show SWK care about other even when it doesn’t fit his goal(he thought MK got trapped in the scroll 📜 too and was looking for him). How he is actually a genuinely good guy post JTTW.

[time-bone-swap-au]

One change for MK is how LBD’s story is presented.

How she was a court member of some sort, who usually managed the Emperor’s ‘businesses’ but as a perfectionist, she could not take the imperfections anymore.

MK however, is nothing like LBD, instead of wanting others to be perfect, he wants himself to be perfect (IE the Calabash Episode). Which is why I wanted him to change the story drastically.

Another thing is, I incorporated that MK has the power of his own will, since I think that The Celestial Realm is actually doing a Ninjago Cloud Kingdom and writing destiny.

That said though, MK or MBK, The Mister Bone King (Originally the name was ‘Master Bone King, but my sister thought ‘Mister’ was better) actually gained his own legend. Compared to LBD, MK is depicted as a hero (Except for that one timeline where he basically replaces LBD by the script)

MK at first actually begins to accept that he can’t fight destiny anymore, because destiny will punish him in more ways than one, he was supposed to be Monkey King’s Successor and fail. But now that he has defied it, MK accepts that him replacing LBD by the script and never altering the story will be his punishment, till Sun Wukong comes by, MK doesn’t react to the Monkey, in fact he acts coldly and professionally to the Pilgrims as a whole, not even respecting Tang Sanzang because he knows how the story will end. But since he actually was too late to proceed to the story, this is where LBD now MBK’s history starts to shift. Wukong actually manages to make friends with MK and tell him to fight for his own freedom, that no one deserves to be oppressed or controlled, that MK can fight for his free will and that there is no good or bad path, just choice. MK is moved by the words and stands up to the Emperor by causing a revolt, inspired by the sense of freedom and how the Emperor cared not for his people.

MK and Wukong depart ways but when Wukong traverses back to deliver the scrolls finally, (The part near the end of the journey) they do greet once more, MK becoming a symbol of freedom to people who are being suppressed by tyrants. MK fights for the freedom of people in the world and becomes a living legend, giving off many names ‘The Bone Spirit of the West’ ‘The Mister Bone King’ ‘The Ice Warrior’ many more. In a way he relives his life as a hero, but still MK is unsatisfied, Wukong’s words actually begin to echo in his mind…he is not free, because he is still trapped, trapped in a world where none of his friends will every be seen again, and he knows that regardless of what he does, everything will still happen, Mei, Tang, Pigsy and Sandy will be born regardless if he changes the timeline, but they will not remember him. At some point MK retires, and he and Mayor become a part of Megapolis city, MK plays video games for a bit (just the ones he knows) and Mayor gets elected as Mayor (How ironic is that)

At some point Wukong finds out and they end up being buddies and have scheduled time together before he leaves, at this point of time, MK is sorta banned from technology (Mayor got a little too concerned) so he was unable to see the news of Bai He (She actually has a different name in this universe, I’m just not sure what) so when MK finds out of Bai He…he sorta snaps…

Because somehow the reincarnation of LBD has taken his role like she forced him into hers.

So he makes it his mission to take hers once more.

[starsfic]

Here are the ideas I was talking about for season 4 in the DND AU. It's a bit different from what you wrote down (and a lot more angstier) so I hope you like it. (Sorry it took so long XP)

While in therapy Wukong realizes that he has.... A lot of regrets. One of those things being what happened between him and his former sworn brothers. So when he bumps into Azure Lion one day he impulsively invites him to DND and creates the whole campaign as an elaborate apology so they can be friends again (the last campaign was good therapy for him so it can be good therapy for them too, right?) Unfortunately, it just makes things worse and eventually Azure decides to 'betray' everyone so he can finally vent his hurt and anger towards Wukong for abandoning him them, for choosing the people who hurt them over the people he once called brothers. Mk tries to keep the game going hoping to lighten the mood but when he tries to rescue Wukong's character the monkey hits the table so he gets a bad roll trapping the character inside the scroll. Once everyone gets over their shock they start asking why he would do that and he looks..... so tired. He talks about how happy he was to see Azure again, how happy that he agreed to come to game night, how much he missed him them, heck how he was finally starting to enjoy hanging around both DBK and Mac again. He tried so hard to make up for his mistakes hoping to do right by them and go back to being friends again. But I guess it's too late for that isn't it? He messed up too badly. Despite all the good he's done, he's still just a bad monkey. With that final line he leaves. Leaving everyone speechless.

notes for after Wukong leaves:

Azure excuses himself to think.

MK has his character separate from the group so he can go check on Wukong.

DBK, who was invited along with PIF and Red, had his own old wounds reopened so he leaves leading to their characters getting inked. (Red tries to stick around but gets inked either due to a bad role or he leaves to check on his parents)

Mei, Pigsy Tang Sandy and Bai He do the whole hang around Patriarch Bodhi as a side quest while everyone's sorting himself out (Huntsman shows up at some point and uses weighted dices so Sandy can keep getting stars to make him feel better, Hunts gets scolded for that)

Macaque actually decides to be mature for once and has an actual conversation about their issues.

And that's it. Depending on what happens next season they either accept that they can't go back to the way things were and go their separate ways sad but better then they were before or try to be friends again and get therapy.

...wow.

[hoodie-prince-kid]

Okay so while Nezha and Redson are defending the Jade Palace from the brotherhood, the monkey gang (-MK) show up in the celestial realm to help defend it, heavily under prepared. Redson gets trapped in the scroll after getting his ass kicked, Nezha gets heavily injured, but before Azure can kill them, MK shows up. Badass monkey form. He steals the broken pieces of the scroll and then Nezha, MK, Mei, Pigsy, Sandy, Tang, are teleported back to Flower Fruit Mountain via Tang's weird cicada reincarnated monk powers (which I never explained but you get the gist).

This causes Azure, Peng, and Yellow Tusk to enter the Jade Palace in a rampage. At Flower Fruit Mountain, they make a plan to fix the scroll (which Tang and Sandy due with just. Everyday ductape which kinda works but not as good as Nezha's suggestion of Tang using his powers again would have.) Macaque and MK go in the scroll, to find Wukong. They go through Wukong's past memories in greater detail (witnessing tha shadowpeach divorce for real / the fight Macaque and Wukong had when Wukong was first trapped under the mountain.)

The memory scroll falls apart cause Wukong is ripping through it trying to find MK again somehow cause he's worried. With a pep talk from MK, Wukong is ready to leave the scroll to try and fix his mistakes, and kinda partially repair the beef between him and Macaque? It's up in the air.

Anyways there's this cool scene where when Azure kills the Jade Emperor the world falls apart and Nezha, Macaque, and MK (...so he *is* a celestial monkey. Somehow) get golden eyed for a second. I forgot to mention it it's before freeing Wukong.

Anyways now Nezha, Wukong, Macaque, MK and the gang make up a plan to defeat the Brotherhood yadda yadda yadda. Azure Lion takes the throne but can not control the Jade Emperor's power so the world essentially crumbles a bit. There's a big fight, MK goes all Kaiju. Essentially Peng runs away like a coward after Macaque scares him off, Yellow Tusk sees the errors of his ways and after helping the Monkey Gang willfully lets himself get arrested on the celestial scale, and Azure Lion in his attempts to fix the world, disintegrates.

The Jade Emperor's power has no vessel and almost explodes, but Nezha keeps it in a magic vessel and all is good and well.

And there's a nice beach episode scene at the end and an ominous conversation between Wukong and Macaque that this is not the end, but merely the beginning.

And I'm still wondering who the cloaked being that freed Azure is. As is the monkey gang.

And I think that's the end and I am done with my Season Four LMK tying into the Journey To The West rant.

oh this is SO GOOD. /GEN.

[sunhalf]

@villainspeech : red son isn't sure what's happened, exactly — things are fine, and then they're not. whatever has come over mei has come over her suddenly, and they're left ——— what??

red son is momentarily frozen in the face of her shuddering shoulders and choked sobs. she's saying things through her tears, and he isn't quite processing them through his startlement. comforting others doesn't come naturally to someone like them, and their hand hovers near her shoulders.

then he blinks and he moves from sitting beside her to kneeling before her, swallowing down his hesitation as his hands slide beneath hers where they cover her face so he can cup her tear-stained cheeks in his own hands. "mei," he says — not dragon girl, not pony girl, not anything other than her name —, "everything is fine now. you're here. i'm here. — everyone's here. breathe, please."

She's just so SCARED, every second. She's watched the people she loves almost die so, so many times. She was so scared, when it looked like MK was dead, way back at the beginning, and that fear just — never, ever went away. Never had a chance to. She forgets about the fear, doesn't notice past the fireworks of her beating, breaking heart, until it gets so loud she can't help it — until she's wreathed in flames and screaming, terrified, I'VE WATCHED YOU PUT MK IN DANGER OVER AND OVER AGAIN! Until her best friend's copy calls her a COWARDLY, RECKLESS MONSTROSITY and she can only choke on the terror of what her reckless weakness means for those she wants to protect. Until her best friend flees before she can promise that she understands what it's like to be less of a person and more a thing that creates corpses and the all - knowing master tells her that SHE'S TOO WEAK TO SAVE HIM.

Until she realizes that Red Son is trapped, and Azure is only growing less merciful.

There hadn't been time to process the Fire — it was straight to learning to control it and suppressing the wild anger that would only hurt MK. There was no time to process the scroll or the words under her skin, just fakin' it til we makin' it. No time to process MK's lack of trust and how she couldn't even justify being hurt by it when she'd fled from him the same way, for the same reason.

But there's time, now, to process Red Son, and losing him, and losing him, and losing him, and the way she's been so scared of losing anyone for months and months and it hasn't, not once, gone away.

And she can't breathe.

His hands settle on her face and her shoulders hike and it's not fear of him, it's just her body breaking in some simple, stupid way, her own hands curling around their wrists. She can feel their pulse that way. She can feel their pulse as she crumples in their hands, and this is so much like then that there's — amidst the grief over nothing, because they're safe, they're still here — a quiet sting of shame in her chest, beside the riotous terror, at the fact that yet again she is being saved by Red Son. "Mei," he says, and her wails go briefly louder, "Everything is fine now. You're here. I'm here. — Everyone's here. Breathe, please."

"I'm truh - trying," she sobs, almost petulant, and she is, struggling to inhale past the way her lungs feel tight and her hands shake and her mouth won't stop twisting. Her chest is full of molten glass and if she dares to breathe it'll come pouring out her mouth. The ends of her hair go up in black flames and she barely feels it. "I'm trying, buh' I was so SCARED ——"

Scared for MK and for Pigsy and Tang and Sandy and even Wukong, despite the fire and the scars that are as much his fault as Macaque's, scared for Nezha and herself and the world, but most of all scared for Red Son, who's so much of her heart, now, and for reasons she knows are so much more than the Fire. Her grip tightens on his wrists, and she feels her heart breaking further, the fear so loud it screams now that there's no reason for it.

"I was so scared you'd be guh - gone an' I couldn't protect — couldn't protect you ——— !!"

His shoulders stiffen and she processes that less than the way she can feel the fire in his shift and she needs to be able to protect them. She needs to be able to protect Red Son. She needs to. They need to live a long time, and Mei needs to live a long time with them.

Red Son doesn't resist or pull back, just stiffens, briefly, in surprise when she releases his wrists to pull him into a clinging, trembling embrace. She's just so scared, every second, and it hasn't stopped for months — but here, at least, she can hold him and cry.

[1iffy]

Monkie Kid Au somewhat inspired by Frozen 2-

Basically same world and timeline- this all happens a few years after they defeat LBD..

Macaque has been hearing a strange voice as of recent and his powers have been acting strange, surging randomly, making him worried that he will hurt someone if he doesn’t get control of himself soon.

Macaque starts avoiding the others, hoping to distance himself and wait out whatever is going on so he wouldn’t risk hurting the others. The others get worried quick though and MK and Wukong finally go in search for Macaque.

When they do find him it is evident that Macaque’s powers have become worse. His shadows act out without his permission and he keeps seeing and hearing things. His glamour has also been acting up, forcing Macaque to fabricate some sort of eyepatch for his eye in case the glamour fell.

Wukong and MK take Macaque to either the Iron Bull Family or Nezha. Cause they probably know stuff. After some explanation, investigation and research it is brought to light that Macaque’s true power is being awakened by some sort of connection that is trying to lead him back to his origins. The Six Ear Macaques. A species long ago victim to genocide. All gone except for Macaque himself. But something, some sort of essence of their being is still alive, calling to him.

Macaque wants to make he journey on his own, claiming not to want the others’ help, but MK, Wukong and the gang (Mei, RedSon, Sandy, Pigsy, Tang and Bai He) aren’t having any of it.

So their journey begins, a ancient scroll leading them through a number of trials and forgotten places to find the former home of the Six Eared Monkeys.

Throughout the journey Macaque has several different episodes of which his magic will have little outbursts.

<insert lot of trials and stuff that I’ll come up with in due time>

When they finally make it to the destination they found a dark mist surrounding the place they had to go, once they entered they were trapped inside. Beyond wondering further, and admittedly getting separated for a bit and quite lost, they are all beyond surprised to find themselves captured by Six Eared Macaques. In a desperate attempt to save his friends, Macaque drops his glamour to reveal his true form, showing his six ears to them.

The Six Eared Macaques finally ease down and take the group to their village, where they found out they’ve been trapped there for thousands of years. There is only one Immortal Six Eared Macaque there who seems to be their chief. The rest of the Six Eared Macaque bloodline had lost their immortality, of course keeping their long demon lifespan, but no more than that. The Six Eared Macaque have also lost a good majority of their powers over the ears, their abilities being their amazing hearing and several minor abilities.

The powers bestowed onto this species that a Six Eared Macaque can be born with are:

-Shadow Manipulation

-Smoke Manipulation

-Psychometry

-Shapeshifting

Though Macaque has all these powers, the tribe has devolved in a way of which the Six Ear Macaques can only be born with one of these powers.

As they are shown around and told about the village, the others, especially Macaque, are taken aback by how normally and freely these monkeys (especially the children) used their powers. Macaque starts to realize how different these macaque’s view on their magic is compared to his. He’d always hated and feared his power, always told he was a monster for having such powers. But his people saw their magic as something beautiful and good, whereas he had always seen it as curse.

That’s all I’m revealing about the AU so far- but in due time I’ll come up with more!

[thathoodedgamer]

Avatar monkie kid au

Okay so I’m adding more the the avatar au. Where there are light benders and shadow benders. Light benders are extremely rare tho. Like not even the jade emperor is a light bender. He’s a earth bender who bends crystals. But sun wukong is a light bender, and every time a light bender is born a shadow bender is born as well to keep the balance.

Thus macaque was born and can’t die due to wukong being immortal. They have a weird red string. Light benders typically either kill their shadow bender or they get married. There’s usually never an in between with them XD

wukong also happens to be the avatar that Buddha had to trap for 500 years cause the monkey was causing to much trouble. Bajie is an earth bender, wujing is a water bender. Tripitaka is an air bender. They all have mastery over their element but they do not have a fire bender cause wukong actually already mastered fire via demon bull king all those 500 years ago.

Macaque also has avatar abilities due to being linked with wukong, but they have a darker twist to them. Like how wind is soft and bendable macaques wind cause chaos and mayhem. So while getting the scrolls from the first ever avatar they constantly have to fight macaque and the other demons. Also not all demons are shadow benders.

But Buddhas other self was lady bone demon (I know that isn’t even close to the real lore I just couldn’t think of a bigger bad guy) who everyone thought was dead.

So wukong has to learn all these elements while fighting macaque and the lady bone demon minions. All the while protecting tripitaka with getting the scrolls.

500 years later a new light bender is born Qi Xiaotian. I’m this universe the old avatar doesn’t have to die for a new one to be born, but the other avatars during sun wukongs earth bound years tended to die due to demons. So wukong makes sure Mk gets his staff so that it might keep this new avatar safe.

Mei is a water bender

Sandy is a master, but rarely uses his bending cause his psychiatrist told him to curve his anger. Pigsy is a fire bender. He only uses his fire when it comes to cooking his noodles and that’s why they taste better.

Tang is an air bender, but he never cut his hair or got the tattoos cause it’s dying out tradition. Red son is a fire bending master, but would rather use machines cause he made these beings and it bring his pride~

And mk has his own shadow bender named fanshe (who is the love interest) Basically he’s raised by macaque and taught that his life is only to be a shadow to mks, but when he fakes his friendship with Mk the avatar tells him how he feels like a shadow to wukong. So the shadow bender actually starts to get along with Mk cause he understands that pain of wanting to be yourself.

Fanshe is Human. Which is rare for shadow benders. It tends to corrupt them, but macaque is keeping an eye on fanshe and if there’s any signs of stress due to his bending he forces the man to stop and meditate. That’s the only thing that can stop the corruption.

Also Mk doesn’t know about fanshe being a shadow bender. Before he even joins mks group macaque reminds him to pick one element and only use one element. So fanshe becomes mks earthbending teacher

He gets caught when he saves Mk from a devastating blow by taking them both into the shadows and moving away. Causing everyone but Mk to distrust him. Oh yeah. Most shadow benders tend to be evil, but not all of them. People just tend to remember all the bad ones. But Mk let’s fanshe hide as his shadow.

Mk: yeah but everyone knows about how amazing your avatar journey was! *he looks down sadly* I’ve lost all the elements but one…

Wukong: *he pats the kids shoulder* lady bone demon stole the way you bend. Not the bending itself. No one can take that away from you. It just means we’ve gotta train thrice as hard.

Mk: *smiles* so then you aren’t mad?

Wukong: mad?? About what bud? Anyone would have been tricked into that trap.

Mk: *shakes his head* not you!

Wukong: especially me.

So lady bone demon steals his bending techniques causing Mk to go back to square one. So they journey to the west so that Mk can train amongst the celestials.

Chang’e is his new water master

Nezha is his new fire master

Guan yin is his air master

Tudigong is his earth master

Macaque is his shadow master

And wukong stays his light master

Macaque joined the team due to the lady bone demon coming back. He doesn’t get taken like in season 2. Instead he begrudgingly joins wukong cause they have a common enemy.

[skellebonez]

Smoke, Flasks, and Unfinished Tasks: Chapter 10

AO3 Link!

Chapter 1 Link!, Chapter 2 Link!, Chapter 3 Link!, Chapter 4 Link!, Chapter 5 Link! Chapter 6 Link! Chapter 7 Link! Chapter 8 Link! Chapter 9 Link!

Summary: While the trio and Jin are in the Calabash, the family they left behind try to figure out what to do without falling apart at the seams.

Warnings: Mentions of mouth related injury, self depreciation and negative self talk.

Author’s note: Happy Season 2 premier in a few hours from posting this everyone!

Chapter 10: In The Meantime, Stay With Me

When Iron Fan had said she could get them everything they needed, Pigsy was not expecting that to be a nearly literal statement.

It had taken no time at all for the bull clones to set up a a veritable base of operations for them to use. Long rectangular tables set up and pushed together to make one large enough for DBK to maneuver things on a map, various types of technology that clearly had red Son's handiwork on them around the edges of the map. They used pieces from a mahjong set to mark spots on the map, barring the bonus tiles of seasons and flowers which would be used should they run out of others (and if they did they would allow themselves the worry they were pushing deep down for the moment) and the three dragon tiles. Green for Mei, Red for Red Son, and while Pigsy felt the White tile wasn't the most fitting for MK it was easiest for cohesion.

They had everything laid out in front of them, each location they checked marked off with a numbered suit tile (all bamboo used up first, then moving on to dots, and once those were finished they would use the characters). The 4 winds marked the four major locations they felt needed to be tracked, barring Flower Fruit Mountain as they eliminated the possibility of anyone reaching there outside of PIF, Wukong, and MK themselves: The Bull Family homestead, a temporary place reminiscent of Fiery Cloud Cave just outside the city where they were currently pooling all their resources. Pigsy's Noodles, the obvious place for the trio to go if they managed to escape themselves. The tea shop that the Spider Queen made them aware of.

And one final tile left sitting to the side, ready to be placed should the tea shop lead them somewhere else. They had doubts that the trio would still be there, though did not discount the possibility, since it would be risky to not take them to a secondary location if they knew the Spider Queen had prying eyes. And most everyone who could have pulled this off must have known that to an extent.

Pigsy wished that they could have used some of Red's tech instead of a too large map and mahjong tiles... but most of his tech was locked up tight and none of them really knew how the tech he left with his parents worked anyway. Not even they had a good handle on it, he was the one who typically ran everything when they were all together and he had programmed the operating system to his own needs. While they would have been able to figure that out in time, and Sandy was doing his very best to work out how to unlock some of the devices and would eagerly transfer everything they had on the tables into whatever programs they could access, they knew time was not in their side.

As DBK and PIF and Wukong mulled over who to send to the tea shop and where else they could look if they weren't there, Tang was nose deep in his own phone. Signal was shocking good here, all things considered, and once everything had been established he had started to scroll through social media once again just like he had when the search began. One site, another site, refresh, scroll back up, another site, back to the first, refresh refresh, scroll again.

He hadn't stopped for almost half an hour... and nothing had been found, Pigsy could tell by the shake in his hands and shoulders and the frown on his face.

"Hey," he said softly, reaching out to touch his shoulder. Tang jumped, too immersed in his search and easily startled before he realized who was talking to him. "Come on, I... I don't think we're gonna find anything like that."

"I have to do something, Pigsy," Tang said firmly, refreshing the page he was on once again and grimacing.

There was an edit of the trio someone had posted, a news photo, filtered in bright colors and emoji hearts. "Our Heroes!" laid out on top. Tang almost threw the phone down on the table, just barely managing to slam it down instead and drawing the shocked attention of everyone else as he buried his face in his hands and took a deep calming breath.

Pigsy waved them all off with a frown, and only turned back to Tang when they turned away from them both,

"Tang, this is just makin you upset. You-"

"Have to do something," Tang repeated, shaking his head and looking back up at Pigsy. He looked so tired. They all were, he supposed. "I'm just me. I can and I will help look for them and fight, and you will not be able to stop me, but I can't do... anything else here. I'm not a strategist, I'm not that good with tech, you don't need grunt work done with the Bull Clones around... the best I can do it recite stories about the Monkey King to help us figure out who this could be. And the person who did this might not even be an old enemy!"

"I ain't doin much either," Pigsy rebutted, gesturing over to the unlikely trio of ancient beings across from them. "They may be deferring to me for the final say, but I'm relying on what they tell me to make that choice." He moved, sitting beside the scholar without taking his hand off his shoulder. "So lets distract each other. Work on something else. Maybe whoever did this isn't an old enemy of ours, but maybe they are. Think of anyone who might still be around to hold a grudge and tell me their story."

Tang sat still for a few minutes instead of answering, just leaning into Pigsy and looking down at his shaking hands before they saw the shadow of a Bull Clone fall over the table. Pigsy recognized this one, the only one dressed in attire. A cape to be specific. PIF had introduced him as General Ironclad 2.0, one of the many recommissioned Bull Clones that had to be rebuilt after... The White Bone Spirit.

He placed a tray in front of the duo, two hot cups of tea and two sticks of Tanghulu candied fruit between them (and that was a strange sight, here in this cave, and Pigsy wondered if it was DBK or PIF who had a taste for the treat enough to just have it available like this). Like all the Bull Clones he said nothing, at least nothing that Pigsy or Tang could understand, and bowed before taking his leave.

Pigsy chanced a glance over to the working trio, catching DBK watching them from the corner of his eye. Wukong had a sad smile on his face as he talked while Iron Fan looked... well, he couldn't really tell. She didn't seem annoyed or frustrated, more confused than anything else as she glances up at her husband. DBK gave them a small nod before turning his gaze back to the map.

It was bizarre to him to see them like this. Sun Wukong without his overly enthusiastic smile and laugh or battle roar grimace. Princess Iron Fan without a scowl or a evil smirk of victory and cruelty. The Demon Bull King without his frustration and anger. Now working together for the first time in centuries, possibly ever to his knowledge as he had no idea whether or not Wukong and PIF ever actually did anything together with DBK before he was trapped under that mountain. He... he should have asked the person he once considered to be as close as a brother more about his life before. During the journey they took, before he vanished never to be seen or heard from for 500 years before showing up again just to give the kid he considered his son his mantle.

Maybe... maybe he wouldn't have left if he had.

There was no point dwelling on the past like this, however. Not now. Instead he picked up one of the tea cups and held it in his hands, the warmth not needed in the heat of the cave but still welcome. As welcome as the heat against his shoulder as Tang stayed leaning against him. In time he felt the man move in the same way, holding his own tea cup before taking a sip and sighing.

"You know..." He started slowly, reaching out to take a piece of candied fruit off the stick. The crunch was loud in the quiet of the cave and he spoke with his mouth full. "I have been thinking... Jin and Yin..." He swallowed, frowning. "They shouldn't really be here based on the stories I have learned. The Spider Queen too, I thought for the longest time she died with her sisters, until a few years before meeting her anyway And MK told us about... Macaque." Pigsy frowned deeper at the name, remembering those few days when the Monkie Kid had been run ragged and seemed easy to anger and more eager to please than usual making the tea taste bitter in his mouth. "And he shouldn't be around either. I have my theories, immortality and desires to return to what they were doing before their defeats and all that. But I was wondering..."

Tang paused, sipping his tea before choosing his words carefully.

"Maybe even more of your enemies.... aren't as dead as everyone thought they were?"

~

Yin scowled. That was the most he could do in his current state. Scowl at the door he was trapped behind.

If he tried he could have probably broken it down. But Princess Jade Face hadn't left. She could have, but he doubted it. She could have done a lot, but every time he tried to guess she hadn't.

He was so stupid...

He hadn't tried to talk his brother out of this arrangement, he hadn't stopped him from making her mad enough to use the smoke, he hadn't thought to check to make sure she was gone when they tried their escape plan.

He could have done so much but hadn't.

He wished his brother was there. It didn't feel right to be alone. They'd been together for as long as he could remember, they were twins after all. Sure, they had spent time apart, but never like this. Not like this. And Yin was cold and alone and Jin wasn't anywhere he could reach.

Yin was alone and he hurt everywhere.

It must have been the smoke itself. It wasn't like a truly hurtful pain, he was able to go about whatever he needed to do. It was a dull pain, like his entire body had been grabbed to harshly and squeezed all over. But he could do what he needed to, like eat. Princess Jade Face had even been "nice" enough to even give him food and water. Good food, surprisingly, meat buns that filled him up nice and good and made his stomach stop aching like it was going to devour him from the inside out.

That made him feel guilty. Jin hadn't eaten as long as he had. He hoped that she hadn't deactivated the part of the Calabash that would trick the person in it into thinking they weren't hungry... or maybe he should hope she had. He didn't like the idea of his brother slowly starving to death while he was filled up with good treats. If he hadn't remembered his brother yelling at him not to let good food go to waste all that time ago, before they managed to open their business and find something they were actually good at, the nausea he felt at that would have made his throat burn.

He wondered if she only fed him to keep him quiet.

It was pointless to think about that right now, though. It was pointless to worry about his brother.

He had to think of a plan. One that had more than two steps. One that actually worked for once in his damned life, one that would actually help them and get them somewhere than hurt and cold and alone and sad and in pain. Unlike all their other plans. Like with Sun Wukong. And MK in the Calabash. The race, though that one was fun.

The only other plan that had ever worked out for them was their job selling tech to other demons, but look where that got them now.

Yin winched as he grit his teeth and pain shot through his upper jaw, reaching up to the spot where one of them was now missing. Jade Face had come in to check on him and found him holding it. He had apparently hit himself hard enough on the way down to knock it out the last time she administered the smoke to his face.

It had already been chipped, weakened from another scrap the twins had gotten into with another demon. Yin wondered if his reflection would make him look like the younger twin he was now, with the gap in his smile.

Yin shook his head, curling in on himself and scowling at the door again.

He was so stupid...

But he would think of a way to get his brother back.

[hoodie-prince-kid]

Okay part four

*deep breath* don't worry I think I'm almost done. The interest is interest-ing.

During the events of Lego Monkie Kid we see flashbacks to scenes that presumably happened during the backstory part before the Journey to The West in JTTW starts, even if it's a bit stylized to fit Lego Monkie Kid better as a show.

In season four LMK, when Azure places Mei and MK in the memory scroll after trapping Tang, Pigsy, and Sandy in there (on accident, believing they had stolen the memory scroll), it causes them to go through the Journey To The West (as these are Wukong's memories mostly I think, it's kinda weird when logically thought about.)

Eventually MK and Mei get everyone back together, memories back and all (because Tang was trapped as Tripitaka, etc with Pigsy and Sandy), then they eventually find Wukong in the scroll. This is when the scroll's protective curse catches up however, and it makes MK have his mega identity crisis (Monkey Time :]) and when they are released from the scroll, Wukong doesn't get out. Azure releases MK, Mei, Pigsy, Tang, and Sandy, along with Yellow Tusk and Peng. The scroll part with Wukong trapped inside is cut in half, turning things dire.

What's remaining of the brotherhood (Azure, Peng, and Yellow Tusk) show mercy and don't kill the Monkey gang and instead leave with the broken scroll piece. MK flies off to go be brooding and have an identity crisis where Macaque helps him through but in kind of a jerky way.

Brotherhood goes and traps DBK and PIF in the memory scroll as well, Redson escapes and goes to warn Nezha that the Brotherhood is trying to overthrow the heavens. Meanwhile Mei, Pigsy, Sandy, and Tang are training with the great master who trained Wukong.

This.is getting way too long I'm breaking it up into part five :'] it's your fault for letting me rant.

ITS OK ITS GOOD STUFF (sorry for skimming a bit tho :sob: )