#She’s a squirrel monkey :)

[dash-n-step]

Marvel Snap Cinematic The Line Animation Studio

Squirrel Girl Concept Art/Stills

[thefanciestborrower]

Behold. My fursona. Her name is Mango :)

[respawnjupiter]

[Saimiri]: "I don't understand how you can go by your Species name...that's kinda weird." (Talking about Macaque)

[Also Saimiri]:

[orbiting-star]

god can people please stop taking pictures with wildlife please for the love of god just fucking stop taking pictures with wild animals i am going to scream

all those people (with maybe 1 or 2 exceptions) with "rescues" in the US on tiktok are fucking awful people and they're directly contributing to the exotic pet trade

[cimeriansparrow]

Me and @teddybearjpg when we live with a bunch of animals. Which. I will list in the tags bc my doodles are lackluster

[1introvertedsage]

A Squirrel named Monkey

I was doing laundry at my complex one day and I kept hearing little squeaks and squeal noises. I couldn't tell where it was coming from, but I thought it was probably a baby bird that had fallen out of the nest and that it would be fine, the mother would find it.. something.

As I was finishing up for the day, my neighbor comes up to me and says.. "hey, um.. I know you like birds... something fell out of the tree over here but I don't know what it is!" (I have 2 bird feeders outside of my apartment. Nothing spectacular, just a hummingbird feeder and one with food for most birds)

It was the funniest thing how she approached me, because what fell out of the tree was no bird lol. Her cat almost got it and she wasn't sure what to do, so she figured because I fed the birds I might know what to do I guess? 😂

So, she takes me back behind some rose bushes and the sweetest little thing was laying there, squealing and fighting for it's life! It was being attacked by biting ants. The ants weren't little fire ants, they were average sized ants not only biting but burrowing their head or something into its skin!

We get some towels to pick it up and clean off the biting ants, at this point we had no idea, what it was, it was so tiny! 🤗💚 We thought maybe a kitten or a puppy but the little mouth was so different.

While getting the ants off and looking at it more closely, a few more neighbors came up to see what was going on, and we realized it was a baby squirrel. 💚 Poor thing had been out there crying off and on for a while and must have finally crawled out of the bushes some. I could only hear it earlier.😔 The mother never came for it throughout the day. Now, we have picked it up, it may not come back for it.. What do I do?!?

We started looking online for animal rescues or what to do with this baby squirrel. Nothing near me in my area. The closest place we could find that may take it was way up in the mountains, and it was getting dark outside.

More online searching, we find some information on how to possibly care for it. We determined it was about 3-4 weeks old based on the size and the fact the ears and eyes were still closed.

So we rush to the pet store to find milk replacement, bottles, droppers, something for it to sleep it. Who knows how to keep a squirrel alive?? Especially one this small. 💚

This was soo nerve wracking! I would be devastated if it was to die in my care. I simply fed the birds lol. I was not wildlife rescue!

TBC...

Odalys M.

My girl Monkey

[oysterie]

got three tickets into villager hunting and remembered i hated it so now i got miss shari on my island :)

[torra-and-the-toons]

Actually, what if they all had tails?

Specifics under the cut:

Joy - Dog. Good for wagging when happy.

Anger - Dragon. Pretty self explanatory.

Fear - Cat. Puffed up 99.9% of the time.

Disgust - Rat. Thought to be gross creatures but are actually one of the neatest.

Sadness - Snow Leopard. Icy, cold, the tail simply drags on the ground behind her.

Anxiety - Lion. Courageous. I count this one as per-existing even though I can't find the original image I saw of her with a tail.

Envy - Squirrel. Just for the cuteness. Her tail is larger than she is.

Ennui - Monkey. Prehensile tail for holding things and hanging off stuff.

Embarrassment - Bear. C'mon, it's right in his name. Stupidly adorable just like him.

[bitterkarella]

Identifying furries by their fursonas

Fox- this is the default fursona for the default furry, namely a twink with a blown out fucked to death asshole

Vixen- Girl fox referred to as a vixen is an egg, girl fox just referred to as a fox is an out trans woman

Kistune - the same as above but weeb flavor

he-wolf - a greasy guy who weighs 12 pounds soaking wet and wears a fedora. republican.

she-wolf - the butchest bull dyke you ever saw

coyote - manic depressive. always on something. the drug connection at any furry party

Cat- always a woman

black cat - could be any gender but always goth

kitten/kitty - a trans sex worker, has an only fans they really want you to know about.

bobcat - older dude. wants people to think he's ex-military

Jaguar - an older black guy. will probably have the word "black" in his fursona's name

lion - just a huge asshole

tiger - another asshole. old. wants you to believe he's ex military or ex-police, probably a member of the dorsai irregulars. major grill dad vibes

jackal - a huge asshole and a slut. white gay racist, probably transphobic

cougar - either a trans woman or a terf. there's no in between

Horse - white woman who identifies as 2 Spirit or a guy who wants to be stomped on

Pony - gay nazi

unicorn - either the absolute gayest dude you can be or a 9 year old girl. sometimes a late in life transition

Tanuki - latino

badger - either a huge lesbian or an old avuncular straight guy. possible sex pest

Raccoon - nature's greatest mistake. too normie to be furry, too furry to be normie. dilf.

bat - either a goth or a real annoying shit (some overlap). invader zim fanboy. doesn't drink alcohol but claims to act crazy on "sugar highs." definitely has dabbled in webcomics

cow - a woman. maternal. mom friend or mommy dom. milf. possibly trans femme

steer - a big strong fat rough trade gay guy

sheep - mom vibes

pretty much any farm animal - mom vibes

domestic pig - wild card. might be a wet and messy fetish thing tho or a trash eating thing. loves to be stinky. loves to talk about being stinky.

wild pig - trans masc

skunk - either a fat beardy guy who has a tumblr blog about animation squash & stretch or a stoner gal. very straight. the straightest. a kinsey 0. has strong feelings about what the fandom used to be like before there were all these kids in it.

rat - is a huge asshole as a front, probably likes talking cigars

lemur - autistic

sloth - 420 blaze it. will never finish any commissions

chakat - an older cishet man who thinks the fandom is too political & refers to "anime" as "japanimation"

sergel - nazi

citra - the biggest dipshit you've ever met

procyon - furry equivalent of the thomas jefferson miku binder pic. you should not be talking to this person, this is a literal child

weasel - a girl with cluster b personality disorders

ferret - a person who has at least one pet ferret, but probably many

mole - this person thinks they're in a beatrix potter story

guinea pig/chinchilla/jerboa/gerbil/any kind of fat rodent you can keep as a pet - the sweetest person you will ever meet

armadillo/pangolin/anteater/aardvark - smug, contrarian. "i just wanna be different"

mouse - vore fetishist, prey. sub.

hyena - vore fetishist, pred. probably trans masc

otter - a dommy twink, possible enby

bear - gay

panda - absolutely a white person pretending to be asian. probably running a gofund me scam with a suspicious story about how they're a professional nintendo gamer who injured their hand or something

bullfrog - a huge fat hairy straight guy

any other frog - inflation or rubber fetishist

axolotl/newt/salamander - genderfluid enby

rabbit - trad wife trans woman

squirrel - autistic and gay

deer - gay

gazelle - zootopia megafan

monkey - punk DIY artist type, definitely loves weed

ape - absolutely baffling. nothing this person does or says makes any sense. you will be left wondering whether you're speaking to a child, a person with severe mental issues, or someone who doesn't have english as a first language

elephant - mom friend

hippo - a fat fetishist or a transformation fetishist

rhino - an older cishet dude who wants to project a curmudgeonly yet approachable aura

kangaroo - definitely not an australian person. extremely focused kinkster, usually feet or inflation. more STDs than should be possible to carry

koala - an asian woman

virginia opossum - anarchist/communist punk trans man who makes zines and/or comics

australian possum - just here to have fun. wants everyone else to be having fun too. wacky funster. (sugar gliders and flying squirrels fall under this category)

any other marsupial - poser

monotremes - extreme poser, don't even bother

doberman- gay dude who tops from the bottom or a cop (there is some overlap)

german shepherd - a nazi or a cop (there is substantial overlap). definitely a furry raider. he will wear his cop uniform to con and after con will post videos pretending that someone was rude to him

afghan - arch femme

basset hound - racist

puppy - sub, probably an egg. extremely draining. cries a lot

all other dogs - just dudes being bros (gender neutral)

dragon - the furries of furries. like to talk about eating "sammiches" and "chocklit." probably an adult baby lifestyler. they will send DMs that just say "hi." they like to RP and when they contact you about a potential commission they are actually just trying to trick you into RP

griffin - the same as above but also a brony

snake - sissy hypno fetishist

turtle - an old man, probably southern. an ironic grandpa.

other scalies - furry in denial. either a child or an old person from CYD. the world's last something awful goons

any fursona with latino vibes - white

any fursona with asian vibes - latino

any fursona with native american vibes - eastern european

avian - girl who's not like other girls. hippie. vegan.

raven/crow - agender voidgoth

chicken - mom vibes

dinosaur - the absolute biggest nerd. probably has an actual degree in paleontology. definitely dresses like miss frizzle.

any invertebrate - not a real furry, their girlfriend just made them get a furaffinity account before they could get ass. either that or they've never even heard of furry, they just came up with the idea of anthropomorphics from first principles. a biology teacher or weirdo (there is some overlap)

amoeba - this is a troll

[luffyvace]

Her brook Idk if your req are closed so read this at your convenience 🙏

I wanted to ask for a male harpy reader strawhat hc or if not just hc with luffy, more specifically based off a bird with heavy feathers like a snowy owl cause I’d love to imagine that he complains about the heat a lot and wonders why he’s sweating more then usual but it’s just luffy hugging his legs cus he’s so soft

Love your work brook 🙏☺️

nope! Still open lovely anon<3

when I tell you I did NOT know what a harpy was 🤦‍♀️ I had to do research for accuracy 😅😋

but don’t worry it’s all good I’ll be more than happy to do your request!

I’m telling you right here right now luffy would most definitely be interested in a reader like this!! You know how many unique animals and such he tried to recruit into the crew that weren’t even human?? 😂💗

and thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoy my headcanons :) that makes me very happy!

Okay I’m just saying…….like chopper…if you look more animal than human….his first thought is to eat you

”you think he tastes good?” 😋

😭😭

IT JUST IS !!

moving on…♡

He thinks your wings are really cool

I mean a 6.5 ft wing span…….I do too!!

definitely wanted to measure them to check after he learned that

to which he got himself wrapped up in the measuring tape

Both you and luffy eat “strange” animals

such as sloths, monkeys, porcupines, squirrels, opossums, armadillo’s, anteaters and sometimes parrots…..other birds too 😋🍴

No animal is safe 😭

every island you go to the two of you immediately start scouting for whatever variety of yummy foods you could find

”I’ve got news for you two—normal people don’t eat those animals”

- Nami ♡

it taste absolutely delicious to you!!

honestly you probably got Luffy into eating them

which so funny because he already loves eating all types of weird things

which is probably why he was so easy to convince him to eat it too

like he would normally see a monkey and go oh cool a monkey!

but now….😈😈

not all the time tho

mostly when he’s hungry

……….so I guess I lied, yes all the time 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

he saw you eating a armadillo with some sloth on the side and was like

oooo I gotta try that 🤪🤪

you might dislike for cats seeing as though a harpy’s predator is a jaguar

Least baby harpy’s anyway…

still! 😠

it’s good for you that the sunny is big once y’all upgrade from merry

it has plenty of rooms with shade for you, since a harpy’s natural habitat is rainforests

and they mainly stay in the shade anyway :)

franky probably had a room built that simulates a rainforest for your comfort 💕

like how he simulated the grass

once Luffy found out harpy’s are rare to find and you found the tori tori no mi - model: harpy- it was pretty much settled for you to join the crew :)

like he loves rare stuff!

it’s like treasure!

and you know darn well a pirate will fight for his treasure! 😼

you use your high pitch bird call to reunite the strawhats whenever you guys get separated (which is like- every time you go on an adventure 😀 besides the point-)

it’s loud enough and ranges far enough to the point where it’s more efficient than yelling

very much so comes in handy when your in danger too

also not to mention luffy is 100% gonna wanna fly on your back since you have wings

he probably won’t even ask

he’ll just rocket onto your back while your flying one day and refuse to get off cuz it’s fun

it likely ends with him spotting something cool, telling you to go over to it and getting you two into trouble

just be ready for the

😬😁 ✊😠 💥💥 😖😓

sequence again

flying also comes in handy when saving the strawhat’s BUTT!

You and Robin like 🦅🦅

LOLLL

but no fr you literally just swoop in and save the day 🦸

SUPERRRRRRR M/N!! *super man pose* better yet *franky pose*

Zoro will also appreciate it if you catch him while falling because I swear that man is always getting smacked around-

same with Nami 🧡

another time

Robin was stating facts about harpy’s when the strawhats first met you, and you were confirming

she mentioned that they typically lived 35-45 years (but she was talking about the ANIMAL.)

Luffy—of course—mistook this

“WHAAAT?! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME OUR NEW NAKAMA’S GONNA DIE SOON?!”

*Nami steps in*

”CALM DOWN IDIOT THATS NOT WHAT SHE SAID!!” 💥💥

“……..and besides..! M/n’s not an animal! He’s still a person you know?! Sheesh…..of course he’s gonna live the lifespan of a human”

Sanji will of course cook any animal of your request into your meal

if it’s more nutritious for you—then certainly he’ll do so!

he always prioritizes nutritional value in his meals, and thats different for everybody!

Luffy however….he will get annoyed with 😂

”GO AWAY STUPID *kicks across room* YOU DONT NEED THIS TO SURVIVE! THIS IS FOR M/N!”

your like one of the few men in his life Sanji doesn’t hate

okay I know that was more harpy facts related so now I’ll get into the scenario you mentioned 😅💗

Luffy uses you for warmth in the winter (all the strawhats do)

like chopper ;P

especially with your large and soft wings

”M/n…spread your wings out..we need your warmth..”

-Zoro

you’ve been complaining about the heat all day

You felt like you were ON FIRE.

like seriously?! What was gon on today?!

it’s not like birds need to shed……so why are you burning up!??

”mmmm…your so warm M/n!”

”LUFFY?!”

”shishishishishi!”

”no wonder I felt heavier than usual!! Get off me Luffy!”

”awwhhhh WHYYYYYY?”

”what?! Why?! Because I’m burning up! I already have all these feathers! You’ve got to get off of me Luffy!”

*whines* “but mmmmm/nnnnnn! Your so waaaarrrrm!”

*sighs and face palms* *attempts to pry him off*

“noooooo m/nnnnnn! I don’t waaaaanna get ooofff!!”

Luffy practically had you in a literal choke hold

he was not about to let you go.

and you know he’s got himself wrapped alllllll the way around 😂😂

once again thank you for the compliment my dear!!

Hopefully I did your hcs justice and that you enjoyed them! <3

[is-the-primate-vid-cute]

Arrest made after Dallas Zoo events, including the theft of two tamarin monkeys:

Davion Irvin said he loves animals and that if he’s released from jail, he would steal more, the documents said.

Irvin, who remained jailed Tuesday on $25,000 bond, was arrested last week after asking questions at a downtown Dallas aquarium about animals there. He is charged with six counts of animal cruelty and two counts of burglary.

Zoo staff say the monkeys have lost weight but are unharmed.

Irvin told police that on the night of Jan. 29, he waited until dark, jumped a fence to get onto zoo grounds, cut the metal mesh of an enclosure and took the two emperor tamarin monkeys, according to arrest warrant affidavits . He then got on the city’s light rail before walking to the vacant home where he said he kept his animals.

Irvin has been charged in two of the odd events over a span of several weeks at the zoo and is linked to another, police said. In the taking of the monkeys, Irvin faces one count of burglary and six counts of animal cruelty — three for each monkey. He also faces a burglary charge in relation to the escape of a clouded leopard named Nova, who was discovered missing Jan. 13. A cut was found in her enclosure, and the zoo closed as a search was launched. She was found later that day near her habitat.

Irvin told investigators that he’d wanted to take Nova but that he was only able to pet her before she got on top of her enclosure, an affidavit said.

Police said have said they are still investigating, but Irvin has not been linked to the suspicious death of an endangered vulture at the zoo in January.

Meanwhile police in Louisiana announced the arrest Tuesday of a 61-year-old man in the case of 12 squirrel monkeys that were discovered missing Jan. 29 from their enclosure at Zoosiana in Broussard, about 60 miles (96 kilometers) west of Baton Rouge.

Police said the missing monkeys haven’t yet been found.

Source

[casualaruanienjoyer]

Where would these Aot characters take you on a date?

Armin: The beach. Obviously! This man is in LOVE with the ocean, but somehow today he's not gazing at the waves. He's gazing at you! This is why he ends up tripping on a rock and landing face first in the water.

Mikasa: A fun walk through a market. She loves checking out things she hasn't tried yet with you. You end up buying so many goodies that Mikasa has to carry them for you...with her strong arms...

Jean: A romantic dinner. It's a 5 star restaurant, amazing food, specially picked table. He's even wearing a suit. It would be great....if he didn't book the wrong date.

Connie: The cinema! Big fun action movie with awesome super heroes fighting bad guys and he keeps going on and on about cameos... you fall asleep halfway through and he steals your popcorn.

Eren: An arcade! You two spend hours and hours playing all sorts of games together, and you beat Eren every time. He does manage to win you a cute plushie at the crane machine....after god knows how many coins were inserted.

Levi: Takes you on a cruise/boat trip down the canal, coffee and tea included. It's very nice and quiet and there aren't many other people on board. He steals a kiss from you as you're busy admiting the sights.

Hange: TO THE MUSEUM! You spend so many hours making fun of stupid looking statues and paintings. Hange gets a bit too close to one of the exhibits and triggers the alarms. You run away before security catches you.

Pieck: Escape room. But unlike the usual, Pieck is doing everything in her power to make sure YOU don't escape her. You get kicked out for making out in the escape room.

Onyankopon: He has the same idea as Levi, but you two are late to the cruise... so instead he rents a swan boat and you end up paddling around a lake. It's so hilarious and your cheeks hurt from laughing at all his fun stories.

Reiner: You two go for a walk in the park. You feed a squirrel for the first time and that makes you incredibly excited.... until you notice Reiner being chased around by a group of angry swans. He's heading towards you. RUN!

Annie: she didn't outright invite you here, but you found a note in your bag asking you to come to this dessert shop at 1pm, so you did. You didn't expect to find Annie here, waiting for you. She threatens you into buying her one of each dessert available and you go broke.

Sasha: Somehow you end up at a buffet together, typical. You have no idea how many plates you've already eaten and end up in a food coma. Next time, you're choosing the place!

Yelena: Axe throwing bar. Is this really a date? You keep asking this question in your head over and over again as Yelena throws axe after axe towards you.

Zeke: Zoo! It's been really fun seeing lots of animals you've never seen before. But you spend an awful amount of time at the monkey enclosure. Zeke ends up freeing some of them and you two are now wanted by the police. Great.

[quitealotofsodapop]

Ended up reading this reddit thread on the silliest things people have cried/gotten emotional over whilst pregnant - now I am having ideas for my LMK aus.

Things Wukong and/or Macaque have cried over whilst carrying an Egg;

Saw a squirrel with a really short tail.

Saw a cat that was so fluffy.

Fridge door bumped their stomach (non-painfully) while opening it.

Craved a chocolate bar that was discontinued ten years ago

Scratch that; Wukong would cry over craving a very specific fruit variant that doesn't exust anymore.

One of the first times they eat Pigsy's cooking. So much love and care goes into his food. They can taste it. Pigsy was a little taken aback by the pregnant monkey(s) crying over a bowl of noodles when he saw them.

Macaqie would think he's immune to food-based mood swings, until he suddenly remembers a cinnamon-osmathus based desert Chang'e made for him when he was a cub, and start sobbing. There was only two tree species on the moon and she tried her best to make him a treat from them! Chang'e was informed of this incident, and she sent down some as a gift for her baby bro. Mac cried again.

Wukong saw a toddler trip and scrape their knee. Even though the kid was ok, Wukong got emotional over how mortal and fragile his kid would be.

Sandy showed them his new litter of foster kittens, and the kittens were so small.

Got pulled over by cops while driving and cried so hard at the thought of being in trouble that the cop let them go.

Remembered people that they hadn't apologized after a long time. Some sobbing 3am calls were made to various confused deities/demons.

Wukong couldn't eat peaches for a long time due to sensory/taste aversion. One day he came home to find that Mac spent the whole day learning how to use an ice cream maker so he could make a Peach Ice Cream that didn't set off Wukong's nausea. Even made a chocolate coating that looked like peach skin. Wukong cried while devoring the whole tub before Mac could explain what he did.

And of course: saw a super sleepy, content baby monkey (their own).

[canmom]

so chipspeech (which i learned about 10 minutes ago) is essentially an emulator for old voice synthesiser chips. but, ingeniously, it associates each one with a character design which is shown prominently in the software. each character has a brief bio on the website.

and you can already see the wheels of fandom turning! search for chipspeech and you find a lot of songs that are 'in character', with the lyrics and music video referring to these characters (for example). it's following the tracks laid by Vocaloid.

thinking about that... vocal synthesis software seems uniquely suited to associating elements of the program with character designs. you've got a ready made narrative: this synthesiser is the voice of this character. if I make a song using the Hatsune Miku software, it is as if Miku has come from where she's hiding in the wifi to sing for me. that does a huge amount to popularise the character and the software! now if I search for Miku on Pixiv I find over 600,000 pictures, and it's hard to overstate just how much stuff she's appeared in.

other software sometimes has mascot characters, for example Krita's Kiki the Cyber Squirrel who you see every time you launch the program (notably in the trans flag colours)...

and some of them can become a little culturally iconic, like Blender's stock model Suzanne the monkey, or Tux the Linux penguin. but it seems much more rare for a fandom to spring up around these characters. something about having a voice leads us to want to imagine them having an identity.

(other hypotheses: maybe it's also just a matter of having a really fantastic character design - most vocaloids aren't so popular as Miku, she truly is iconic. on that front, it will be interesting to see what becomes of Xenia, the alternative Linux mascot who is a trans foxgirl lmao. alternatively, maybe the open source mascots simply don't have the force of Krypton Future Media's marketing budget behind them - but I don't think that really explains why the vocaloid characters are so compelling)

(further consideration: maybe the popularity of vocaloid just an offshoot of the existing idol culture and I'm reading too much into it? vocaloid isn't nearly so popular outside of Japan, and I'd wager people who are into vocaloid might be into Japanese stuff in general.)

[erictmason]

“BOUND FOR FREEDOM, YEAR SIX, DAY FIVE: “Mind”

“The Mind's Eye”

Sally’s mind was a storm.

Sonic had known that risk going in, but that didn’t make it any easier to navigate the torrent of shades and echoes swirling all around him.  Faces he could almost recognize, words he could almost hear, all of it cutting against him like a thousand biting fangs.

So he cut right back.

“SAL!” the hedgehog shouted.  “I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR ME, SAL!  JUST TELL ME WHERE YOU ARE!”

There was no answer at first, even as Sonic strained to make out anything out over the din of accusatory voices all around him.  But then…faint, like distant rain drops, yet unmistakable…he heard it.  He heard her.   So Sonic pushed ahead, through the storm.  As he went deeper, the shades and echoes began to become clearer.  King Acorn, Geoffrey, Monkey Khan…each one looking out  with cold eyes. 

“You were never worthy.  Of your title, of my love, of your life.”

“Frail little thing…fit to be used and thrown away.  Nothing more.”

“So afraid, even of your own heart, and so you break everything you touch.”

And then Sonic found himself at Sally’s side.  She looked so…small, trembling and curled up into herself, tears running along her cheeks.  In all the years he had known the princess, Sonic had never seen her quite like this.  “Sal…” he whispered softly, kneeling down next to her.

“They’re looking at me,” she said, her voice choked and frail.  “They’re all looking at me.”

Those shades from before loomed over them both like storm clouds.  “We’re gonna wake you up, Sal, I promise,” Sonic said, “and once you’re out of here, they won’t be able to hurt you anymore.”

He reached out gently to her, but the squirrel curled in tighter to avoid his touch.  “Out there…in here…it’s all the same,” she hissed.  “It doesn’t change anything.”

“So small…so weak….”

“Broken beyond repair….”

“Hurting…hurtful…inescapable….”

The echoes were growing louder.  The shades were growing darker.  Sonic could practically feel a hand closing in around them.  Sally seemed to feel it too, holding her head…squeezing it.  Behind it all, something…else…became clearer to the hedgehog.  A cage, made in Sally’s image but forged in metal.  It was terrifying…but it also reminded Sonic exactly why he was here.  “Forget them,” he told Sally, his voice far bolder now.  “Forget all of them.”

He reached out again, and again she drew back, but this time he did not stop.  He took her wrist in his hands, his grip firm but not harsh.  “I can’t…” Sally whispered shakily.  “I can’t…!”

“Yes you can,” Sonic answered, putting another hand to her shoulder.  “I know you can, because you can do anything.”

The unseen hand seemed to close in tighter.  Thunder rumbled all around, the shadows grew darker and darker.  Yet Sonic would not let go.  He gently pulled the squirrel close.  And then, slowly but surely…she turned her head to him.  She let her tear-soaked eyes meet his.  “Sonic…?”

“I see you,” he told her.  “Do you understand me?  No matter what they all say…in here or out there…I always see you.”

Sally let out a shuddering breath, leaning in just a little bit closer to him.  Her hands found their way to the sides of his face, embracing him.  Even amidst the darkness and din, she kept her gaze fixed squarely on his, gently rising up so that they could be face to face.   With a weak yet sincere smile, she nodded to him.

And then they woke up. 

[nekohime19]

Heart behind the lie # 21 : hope

MK get hurt and everything is revealed

Sun Wukong was curled up around his lil lady, tail in between his legs, head in his knees. The sheets were stained with tears, the usual clean white wetted by his pain. He looked like a mess, not moving an inch unless it was to take care of his lil bud. He spent days there, still and frozen, voice cracked by his sobs. He thought and rethought his talk with Macaque, of every word they exchanged in the heat of the moment. Did Macaque really think he didn't regret his death? It hurt to even consider it. How much did he fail as a friend for the other to think like that? 

Sock tried to comfort him, but the wound etched on his heart wasn't something that could heal so easily. He felt void. He feared that everything they worked for until they fought was for nothing. That he broke every semblance of bound they managed to create. Maybe they weren't meant to be together and the months of bliss he lived were bound to be shattered one way or another. It wounded him to think like that, because he wanted to be at the other's side, but what was he meant to do when they hurt each other so badly? 

He wanted to apologize for the things he said, once again he didn't listen, he let his emotions get the better of him. But a part of him was glad he said all of this, because even if the words were harsh, they weren't untrue. The 500 years of solitude he lived wasn't something the other could brush aside like that. Yes, Macaque had a reason for not coming, he could recognize this, but his silence felt as bitter as the idea of him not caring. Even if Macaque said he cared, he left him alone, by choice, without a speck of a word to reassure him. This was crushing. 

It was odd, to be mad and sad at the same time, to be torn between two very distinct feelings. He was mad at himself, at Macaque, at everyone that festered their fight. The only person he wasn't mad at these days was Sock. 

His lil lady gently pawed his snout, a tell-tale sign of her hunger. Sun Wukong rose, every bone in him aching with each gesture, and left his sheet, the lil sage hot on his heels. He fed his cat and narrowed his eyes at the sky outside, it was evening, not that it mattered but he could have sworn it was morning the last time he eyed his window. The time didn't hold any importance whatsoever, he didn't even know what day we were, all blurry in the face of his pain. 

Once finished, Sock ran towards the front door and scratched the wood without any mercy, meowing at him with all the authority an orange fluff ball could have. 

“... Well, I guess it's not fair to keep you here.” Mumbled the sage as he approached the door, his feet trailing on the wooden floor. He opened the door and let his lil lady out, she meowed at him once outside, not willing to move if he wasn't at her side. Sun Wukong sighed, but he indulged her, weak against her demanding moews. He set foot outside for the first time since his fight with Macaque. 

Sock explored the cave a little, carefully surveilling the borders of her territory (which was limited at the cave for now), and hissing at any that dared set foot in it without her consent. She chased the birds and squirrels she didn't approve of, and greeted the few monkeys she saw with head rubs. The monkeys liked to pet her, probably because her fur was as soft as a cloud (thanks to him). A few younglings clung to her back and accompanied her in her surveillance, mimicking her when she hissed at any intruders. 

The sage watched all of it with a kind eye, amused by the scene. His generals approached him with skittish steps, they sat at his sides and cooed worryingly. 

Ma asked if he “was alright” and Liu immediately began to groom him, Beng sat on his lap and looked up with wide, teary eyes. 

“I'm…well…I had a fight with Macaque.” admitted the King as he looked the other way, not wanting to see the disappointment in their eyes. 

“Bad?” Chittered Beng as he put his little monkey hands on his, rubbing soothing circles on his palms. 

“Yeah, bad.” Gulped the sage. 

They didn't say anything else, only giving him warmth as they tried to untangle the wreckage that was his fur. He was unsightly, with bloodshot eyes and greasy fur, undignified for the Monkey King. But he didn't care at the moment. Nothing seemed to matter anymore.

For the next few days, Sock was the only one able to make him move, she pushed him outside more than usual, trying to make him taste the sun. He had the inkling suspicion that his lil lady and his generals were working together. Each time he put a foot outside of his shack, his marshals were there. Sometimes, they carried the warrior's scent, and it hurt as much as it soothed him. He didn't even dare to sleep with the scarf anymore, afraid to ruin it with his tears, but also scared of what he would dream if he slept with Macaque's scent. 

Perhaps, he should find the other and try to salvage what could be salvaged instead of wallowing in misery. Macaque was still on the mountain, he could feel his presence. But he always doubted himself the second he tried to put a foot outside of his cave. What if Macaque didn't want to see him? What if they weren't meant to heal? What if the only solution for them to find peace was to move on and forget the other altogether? The mere thought of that was unbearable, because as much as it hurt, Sun Wukong craved his moon. 

After days of doubting, Sun Wukong decided to message Sandy. After all, the tea-lover always had sound advice, and even if the King wasn't comfortable with sharing something so vulnerable, Sandy already saw the worst of him. The sage was sitting on his couch, Sock purring on his lap, enjoying the pets. 

Me : Hey, Sandy. I was wondringg if u had any addvice to reconceiling? 

Sandy 😺 : I'm glad to hear from you Mister King, I was worried. So I take it you want to reconcile with Mister Maquawke ? 

Me : yea 

Sandy 😺 : well, did you two talked with each other since the last therapy session? 

Me : not rlly 

Sandy 😺: if Mister Maquawke needs time alone, then you should respect that. The most important thing is asking him what he wants. 

Me : but I miss him

Sandy 😺 : you can express what you want from him, and your regrets about this fight. But the choice will be his eventually. Don't pressure him, but don't avoid him either. Let him breathe, but still express yourself clearly. Why you did what you did, and what led to it. 

Me : thks Sandy. 

Sandy 😺 : it is my pleasure, Mister King. Good luck. 

He decided to whisper to the winds. With the other's hearing, he would certainly catch any of his words. Sun Wukong sat on the edge of his cave and thought deeply about his words, he began to whisper his truth with an unsteady voice, frail enough to be shattered by any passing gusts, but not shy enough to pass by the Six-eared Macaque himself. 

“Hey, Macaque… I… don't know if you're listening… Maybe I should've just sent a text or something. Sorry. I'm an idiot. I… I can't stop thinking about our fight at Sandy's. I-I'm… sorry, I don't, I didn't…I… I miss you. I don't want that to sever our bond. I know you're probably hating me right now but… will you be willing to try again?” Nothing answered him, only the echoes carried by the passing winds. Sun Wukong's face fell the longer he stayed without any sign of acknowledgement from the ebony monkey. He sighed, disappointed but not surprised. 

The days passed in a blur, everything seemed to merge together in an uncouth mass of time, he was unable to discern the morning from the evening, uncaring of the sky's changes. He lived as if he was haunted, rethinking about the warrior's words each time his mind strayed. Eventually, he stopped wallowing in his own tears (only letting them fall in the dead of the night) and regained a semblance of proper life. He went outside more and more, pushed by his cat, and began to eat again, nibbling some peaches here and there during the day. 

But the ache inside of him never disappeared. 

Each day, he would sit outside and mumble to the wind with the senseless hope that the warrior would hear him, and appear. And each day he was met with disappointment. It hurt to be met with silence, but he never gave up. If there was a chance at reconciling, even if small, he would take it. And so he sent him messages at dawn and dusk, each day, to talk about anything that crossed his mind. And he would whisper apologies at midday, letting his heart fall out of his lips in hope of explaining his pain, of letting the other understand why he reacted like he did. 

“I-I'm sorry for screaming at you. I didn't… My emotions got the better of me. I… I'm sorry. Really our lives are so messed up. I'm… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have… But I need you to know that everything I said was true. I mean, it's the way I felt. I… I hated you for abandoning me, I thought you got sick of me and decided to leave. I thought you didn't care about me as much as I cared about you and it hurt. It was just easier to hate when I was there. I-it was… it was not a fun time. I miss you, Macaque…”

“You mean so much to me you don't even know. You were my world back then… But I got… swallowed by my own fear. I'm sorry. I just… I wanted to be strong, to protect everyone, but I guess I lost sight of why I was doing any of it. I… I loved you. So much. So, so, so much. I know I never showed it, but I did, you were everything.”

“Y-you remember our games? I had so much fun with you. And I-I know you changed, I did too. But even if you're not the same, the you now is really… really fun too. I… don't want to lose you. Not Mihou, but you, Macaque. I…want to be friends, to be close. I miss you. I hope it's not too late.”

“I… I regret killing you. It is the biggest mistake of my life. I-I was… destroyed after that, I spent days crying and wallowing. I pleaded with my master to let me bury you on the mountain. I… I never wanted to. I swear to you. I never wanted to. But I was just so angry at you for abandoning me. Everything blew up, I just wanted to lash out. I stopped, when I heard your confession, I stopped. But I… the circlet tightened and I… struck down. I'm sorry, please I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. You never deserved that. I'm sorry.”

He tried to go to Macaque's favorite spots in the mountain, but the other was a master of stealth, and all-hearing. If the warrior didn't want to be found, he wouldn't be. No matter how piercing the sage's eyes could be, no matter how persistent he was, if the warrior didn't want to be near him, he wouldn't be. But the King didn't give up, his hope of salvaging everything pushing him to keep going. He picked the freshest plums, the roundest mangos, and put them in places with the warrior's scent. Sometimes, he arranged baskets with snacks and other trinkets Macaque could like (playwrights and art supply mainly) and put them in the shade. He was overjoyed when he found out some of his baskets disappeared, it gave him hope to resolve everything. 

Unfortunately, his good mood was quickly crushed by a call from Sandy. Sun Wukong didn't remember much of it, everything stopped the second he heard that his mentee got hurt. The first thought that passed through his mind was to inform Macaque. After all, the other was involved in whatever business MK was diving in, he had a right to know. The sage stumbled out of his shack and ran in the forest, screaming the warrior's name as if his life depended on it. 

“MACAQUE!? WHERE ARE YOU!? PLEASE! MK I-IS… HE'S HURT!” The reaction was instantaneous, the shadows coiled in front of him, creating a puddle of darkness, and from the darkness emerged the warrior. He looked panicked, eyes wide and filled with worry. 

“What do you mean hurt!?” Franticly asked Macaque. 

Sun Wukong summoned his cloud with a flick of wrist, and without any other words they both climbed it and soared through the sky. They didn't say anything, each too busy with their own emotions to try. They stumbled in the pig's restaurant without any grace, rushing upstairs, where they could hear the others. The whole group was stuffed in MK's room. Pigsy was pacing right and left, scolding MK about his “recklessness” and his “lack of common sense”. Tang was trying to diffuse the situation, in vain. The dragon girl was glaring at the boy, lips bitten as if she restrained herself from screaming. And Sandy was patching up his mentee, sitting on the bed next to him. 

MK had a broken arm and some gashes on his face, nothing too dangerous really, nonetheless Wukong felt himself crumble. This was his fault. He was so preoccupied with his own life these last days he forgot his successor altogether. What a poor excuse of a mentor he made. 

“What happened?”Asked the warrior as he approached the kid. MK turned away when he saw him, face filled with guilt. 

“What happened is this idiot rushed alone in a demon territory!” Huffed the dragon girl, arms crossed over her chest. 

“I'm sorry Mei, but you know it couldn't wait.” Muttered his mentee. 

“We said we would go together…” Sighed Mei. 

“sorry.”

“Why were you trying to get into demon territory in the first place?” Asked the sage as he walked towards his mentee. MK flinched, something small, almost unseeable, but undoubtedly there. 

“W-well, you know, I heard they were people there needing help? And so because I'm a hero and all I thought I had to help…” 

“ya don't have to rush into danger like that, kid! You should have told us!”Groaned the pig. 

Sun Wukong furrowed his eyebrows, knowing very well that his mentee was hiding his true intentions. He gazed at the warrior, before sighing and turning towards the others. 

“Can you leave us alone for a bit? I want to have a word. You can stay Macaque. Mei you can stay too.”

The group looked at him, surprised, but they heeded his words when they saw his face. He wasn't smiling, something unusual for all of them. Once they were alone, Mei sat beside the kid and both monkeys faced them. 

“What are you two scheming with Red Son?” Asked the sage, he watched as the kids paled, caught off guard, perhaps. 

“N-nothing. We just hang out with him, that's all.”

“Yeah, he's our friend and all, so we do friendly stuff.” Added the dragon girl. 

“We heard you scheming something with him. Even without that, you two had been suspicious for a while now.” Sighed the sage. 

“Is it because of me?” Quietly asked the warrior. 

“No, no, no, no! It has nothing to do with you.” Nervously refuted the kid. 

“I know you're stubborn. All three of you are apparently. But I don't want you to put yourself in danger for me, kiddo.” Sighed the warrior. “I don't know why you're doing all this, there is no cure-”

“Don't say that!” Cut his mentee. “... Don't give up.”

“You don't have to deal with my problems.” Replied Macaque, unrelenting. 

“But I… I want to!” Muttered the kid. 

“How about you two call Red Son here and then explain what you've been doing exactly.” Cut the sage before they could argue more. “I'm not saying you're wrong, but you shouldn't put yourself in danger like that. Macaque… is not showing it well, but he's worried. He was practically in tears when I told him you were hurt.”

“Hey! That's not true!” Stuttered the warrior. 

“But… You'll stop us if we tell you.” Mumbled the dragon girl. 

“Definitely.” Huffed the macaque. 

“Explain for now. And we'll see.” Sighed the great sage. 

It wasn't hard to convince Red Son, a simple mention of MK getting hurt was enough to make him rush here. He spent hours scolding the boy about his lack of foresight before starting to explain what they were doing exactly. 

“We were searching for a cure, for the black simian.” Admitted the little Bull. Sun Wukong could see his moon tense from the corner of his eyes, probably caught off guard by the boy's bluntness. “Since his soul is damaged, and the parts left in the Diyu probably faded already, making it impossible to heal his soul completely, I thought it would be better if we could create an artifact that could help the soul instead of healing it.”

“Like an artificial soul?” Curiously asked the sage. 

“It's more complicated than that. Basically, the souls in our body are our essence, who we are. It is not static, it changes with how we change, it's almost organic. It can shatter, it can die, but it can also heal. And it is the thing that keeps us here, that keeps us grounded, that makes life flow in our body. A bruised soul can heal and change. The problem with the black simian is that his soul is not full and heavily damaged, therefore it is struggling to heal. The fastest method to heal him would be to collect all the soul fragments to reshape the soul and make it full, but it's been a long time since he was brought back, and soul fragments are not eternal, they fade like petals wilt when they're picked. So, instead of healing him, I proposed to make an artificial device capable of helping the soul, supporting it to help it heal on its own. Like a prosthesis of some sort.”

“Does this sort of artifact even exist?”Asked the warrior with furrowed eyebrows. 

“It needs to be strong, and be able to strengthen souls. It also needs to suit you. We settled on the lantern you had, it was a powerful artifact after all so it could do. Unfortunately, it shattered, so we were searching for the pieces.”

“And that's why you were out so often, and you went into demon territory.” Guessed the sage. 

“I don't think my lantern can do that. I had it for a long time, it is not made for that.” Mumbled the warrior. 

“We simply need to change its function then. It is not impossible.” Replied Red Son. 

“And who would be your craftsmen? You need some seriously skilled master to create something like that!” Groaned Macaque. 

“I can take care of that.” Proposed the sage, they all turned towards him, some with hope, others with disbelief. “Laozi could help us, he's certainly qualified enough”

“Why would you even do that? Laozi is not the kind to help without anything in returns its-”

“Because I care, Macaque.” Interrupted the sage, he took one of the warrior's hands and held it gently. “Let us do that, please.”

Macaque gazed at him, eyes trembling, he turned away after a few seconds, reclaiming his hand. 

“Do whatever you want.” Muttered the warrior, they all cheered at that. “But, we do nothing until MK is fully healed, and no more scheming alone. I don't want kids to be hurt because of me.”

“But Macaque it'll take months before I’m-” MK cut himself when he felt the heated glare of the warrior. “Yeah, I'll wait, no problem.”

Macaque gathered the shadows around the room with a flick of wrist, creating a puddle at his feet. Sun Wukong was worried to see him use so much magic, but he knew it wasn't his place to say something, especially considering how they were still fighting. 

“And Wukong.” Mumbled the warrior, shoulders hunched on himself. “Don't be late for our next therapy session.”

Macaque disappeared before he could reply. The sage stood frozen for a bit, trying to process what just happened. When he finally realized, he jumped on his feet, uncaring of the kids curious stares, and shouted :

“YES! OH MY GODS, YES!”