#but god these monkeys really get me

[its-malarkey]

I realized this this morning and forgot to go confirm it until right now but THE TREE WUKONG AND MAC SIT IN FRONT OF WHEN HE GIVES HIM THE POPSICLE IS THE SAME TREE THEY SAT IN FRONT OF WHEN THEY WERE GIGGLING TOGETHER

[shima-draws]

Episode 825 did you mean the episode where Luffy kissed Sanji ever so tenderly in the rain and told him he loved him

[beaulesbian]

One Piece ep. 257 || "That was really something. They don't call themselves pirates for nothing."

manga ch. 367

It was cute Luffy really did the peace sign in the manga as well!

+Bonus "That was fun."

"No human could pull that off"

[spider-man-2o99]

individual stills of miguel Scampering on all fours and showing off his more distinct individual movement style (that he has because of his spider-man's Similar-but-still-distinctly-Weird-and-unique powers as compared to the more-graceful Others) so that i don't have 2 keep rewinding the clip(s) to see it. im REALLY excited to see him scuttling and skittering all over the place in the film just like he does in the comics-- and, like, seriously, Miguel Specifically being just. made Massive for some reason in his atsv design will never NOT be funny to me hes SO freakin Bouncy why did they Do That.

don't be Weird on my post or i'll kill you for real

[rayjayoo]

monke mk but at what cost 

[uhbasicallyjustmilex]

alex and jamie // alex’s mum and jamie’s dad

[pikslasrce]

*sees a post criticizing a very specific subset of people who also mostly happen to be into something i really like, so the thing i really like ends up associated heavily with the specific subset of people being (rightfully) criticized*

*through gritted teeth* this is not abt me or the thing that i really like this is abt a very specific type of people. the type i am not. and they really are mostly into that thing i really like. that doesnt mean that the thing i really like is under attack. there is no need to internalize something that doesnt apply to me. getting defensive feelings is the mind killer. this is NOT abt me

[imminent-danger-came]

https://www.tumblr.com/acoraxia/751189590385328128/i-do-want-to-like-macaque-but-the-way-the-only?source=share

I feel like this post is wrong, and not just bc I love macaque, just the shadowpeach relationship and the parallels they provide to other relationships and macaque parallels to other characters feels like such a vital part to lmk as a whole. But I'm not good at words, so asking for your imput

I don't want to, like, "gossip" behind anyone's back or anything, so I'll open this up to a discussion with @acoraxia! Hello, how are you, I hope you're having a good day.

(Here's the post if others are interested in readin' it!)

Now, I love Macaque, and I think he's one of the most important characters in the show. I presume "theater kid antics" is referring to Macaque's dramatic nature, but I'd hardly call that his defining characteristic. Macaque is a loser: he's spiteful, he's selfish, he's cowardly, he's paranoid, he's god awful at communication, he's obsessive (particularly over Wukong)...but we've also seen the ways he can put the world/others above himself (3x13, 3x14, 4x10, 4x14), and how he's capable of self-reflection and overcoming his past hurt/hatred ("Wukong was on a path of self-destruction...we all were"). We're, dare I say, at a point now where I'd even call Macaque reliable, in his own way. He'll show up for MK & Wukong, he'll "stick his neck out" for them, and I'm honestly so proud that he chose to stay till the end in 4x14 (versus his choice to run in 3x10). It's wild to me that he's the only 3 of the monkeys who has actually had a positive character arc, but that's just where we're at currently.

I think the claim that you could "remove him from the story and it wouldn’t change much" is greatly downplaying Macaque's role and importance to Wukong, both narratively/thematically and as a character. DBK and Wukong weren't close, but for Macaque, Wukong was his entire world. He (along with Wukong's fear of mortality) was the reason the great Monkey King reached for power in the first place. Both DBK and Azure had their own goals outside of Wukong (not that DBK particularly cared for SWK anyways)—what's important about Macaque as a character is that his motivation and loyalty was only for Wukong, and not towards any greater purpose or goal. Macaque and MK are very similar in that way: neither of them have lofty aspirations, and they are completely content with "quitting while they're ahead" ("Why didn't he just stop, right here? He was already so much stronger than anyone ever needed to be" ; "You're the one who wouldn't quit while we were ahead!"). Both hate change, and both have been hurt by their belief in Wukong.

I'm admittedly a bit...I guess confused, by this opinion, as entire episodes (1x09, 2x07, 3x04, 4x10, 4x11) are centered around Macaque and his relationship to both Wukong and MK. Macaque is there to show us the ways in which Wukong has both abandoned and hurt the ones he loves; he's a very important foil to both MK and Mei, as well as other characters like Azure. That's Monkie Kid's main theme right, the fact that you'll hurt your loved ones and they'll hurt you, but you love and care about them anyways (I have a whole tag around lmk's hurt/pain theme, for those interested).

Let's look at a few examples of this, particularly involving Macaque, Wukong, Mei, and MK:

Macaque: "Come on! Show me the real Sun Wukong! The old you would have leveled this whole mountain range to stop me, but you're scared of hurting some kid? Pathetic!"

(1x09 Macaque)

-

Sun Wukong: "STOP! If you hurt that kid I'll-" Macaque: "-What. Make things worse for MK?"

(3x09 The King, the Prince, and the Shadow)

-

Mei: "Time and time again I've watched you put MK in danger leaving him to figure out EVERYTHING on his own. Don't you realize you're hurting the people who care about you the most?"

(3x10 The Samadhi Fire)

-

MK: "Until I know what I am, what my destiny is? I can’t risk hurting the people I care about—the ones I have left."

(4x08 The Brotherhood)

-

(the 3x10 and 4x08 ones are direct parallels in particular, which I know I never shut up about them, but they're so, so important to understand for the Monkey's (+ Mei) arcs.)

In seasons 3 and 4, both MK and LBD have posited that no matter what you do, whether or not what you think you're doing is right, it all leads "to pain". That's an extremely consistent thread throughout the entirety of the show, going as far back as 1x01 ("Whenever I try to do anything, I just gunk everything up!" -> "No matter what I do, it’s going to lead to pain [...] it doesn’t matter if I want to help people or not! Everything I do just- it just makes things worse!"). While Wukong never wanted to hurt his loved ones (for the sweet sweet "This isn't what I wanted!" Azure parallel), he did. He's a very flawed Monkey, but he does try and he has changed for the better, and that's what's important, right? That's something even Macaque has understood by the s4 special ("Monkey King really was a bad guy?" "That's what I believed...what Azure would have you believe. Then, he met him: the monk.")

You can't really...pawn-off Macaque's role onto other people. Structurally, we needed a tragic best-friend character who was deeply wounded by Wukong in the past, who has then come to accept/forgive him (for the most part, give-or-take). That way, you can have someone who has seen/experienced Wukong's flaws then defend him, both for MK's sake and in contrast to Azure having a literal world-ending breakdown over (his crush on) Wukong. DBK can't be that character, Azure can't be that character, and the Mayor is a much weaker antagonist for s3, unable to provoke MK + the main gang in quite the same way—as well as being completely removed from the themeing and Wukong's hero/warrior dynamic.

Macaque, as demonstrated in 2x07, views the "hero" as someone who leaves, someone who abandons their friends to the shadows. MK completely up ends that world-view in 3x10, refusing to abandon Mei "when she needs" him ("We're heroes! It's what we do!"). It's literally one of my favorite scenes in the whole show, and it completely hinges on Macaque being there and then leaving (much like Macaque's arc hinges on Mei being the fourth ring).

I'm just like...I personally can't imagine a version of lmk where Macaque isn't there to be a foil to both MK and Wukong. I rewatched Shadow Play just yesterday, and that episode is so delightful, let me tell you:

"Welcome, viewers, to a shadow play the likes of which have never been seen! It follows the tragic tale of a legendary Warrior, and how those who bring light into this world inevitably bring darkness to those they hold dear..."

Ah you mean like...hurting the people you care about the most, perchance.

2x07 parallels 4x02, especially between the shadow-lamp itself and the scroll—while Wukong's MIA, Macaque regales his memories of Wukong, imprisoning MK's friends and forcing MK to fight "dark" versions of them? Sound familiar?

(familiar tales...new adventures...)

Which, that's a bit of a tangent, but I do think it demonstrates the ways in which Macaque is important to the foundation of this story. MK and Wukong, Wukong and Macaque, MK and Mei...those are the core dynamics of the show for me, you know. If Macaque wasn't there, I quite honestly don't know where we'd be

[sunbudc]

garp during the god valley incident: hey guys new son just dropped

[ID: A colored digital drawing of Monkey D. Garp and Monkey D. Dragon from Shōnen Jump series One Piece by Eiichirō Oda. It's encased within a polaroid frame as if captured in the moment and a real in-universe photo during the God Valley incident, with the words "Adoption Day!" written near the bottom. The bottom of the polaroid is slightly burnt.

Garp stands closest to the camera while grinning triumphantly, while Dragon stands in the back with a slightly raised eyebrow and doubtful expression; both are visibly roughed up and bleeding. Fire engulfs the entirety of the background, though the two do not seem to care.

Garp is wearing the white shirt and tie combo he wore during the God Valley incident. Dragon is wearing his signature green cloak, although it rests more on his shoulders, revealing a plain yellow t-shirt and blue jeans underneath. End ID.]

[hauntingblue]

LUFFY!!!!!!!!! I HAVE BEEN CONVERTED!!!! LUFFY BELIEVER FULL TIME!!!!! LET US WORSHIP THE SUN!!!!

[siixkiing]

I completely forgot about the Sun Wukong inspired Sonic Character Monkey Khan XD

[todayisafridaynight]

if i doodle during unlucky monkey stream later would we be mad at me

[rosetherat]

Hi my babas my little scrunglies have the draculaura doodles while you can for one day I will stop posting and you’ll all be left to wonder what happened to me I could be living my life happily or be like dead and you’ll never know because I only use this thing to show my art sometimes

[digestionmachine]

snow mesa, colorado trail, july 2022

[hogmilked]

listening to tranquility base hotel and casino to prep myself for my big plans of getting high and listening to the car tonight and goddamn this album was perfect. idc what people say it’s a beautiful incredible album and i’m so fucking excited to listen to the new stuff

[imminent-danger-came]

I saw your tag that out of the 3 monkeys, macaque is the most mentally well, and i had a mini breakdown about the fact youre right. You shouldnt be right, but you are

IT FEELS WRONG RIGHT. Like, Macaque is the red and black edgy monkey with shadow based powers, and yet he's also the only one whose positive character arc has impacted the story in an undeniably constructive way. Who knows what would have happened had he not been there to help MK in both 4x10 and the s4 special.

And like, MK on the other hand has had a negative character arc for the whole show (with "Revenge of the Spider Queen" and "The Emperors Wrath" being small hills in the road, but knowing MK we're going DOWN next season). MK is still going to get worse before he gets better (I'm predicting mega guilt over having a hand in Azure's death, but we'll see—also everything about his monkey form/himself is pretty much unresolved soooo) and don't even get me started on Wukong. He ALSO has had a negative character arc the whole show, with his main improvement being his resolve to be more open with MK. But like, between Mei chewing him out in 3x10, getting possessed by LBD, and now his time spent in the scroll—let's just say I'm worried for the Monkey King.

At the start of the show I'd say MK, SWK, and Macaque are all mentally unwell in their own special and equal ways, but Macaque actually got somewhat better (thank you 3x13). He's the only one. It's ridiculous.