#it not just ao guang

[the-monkey-ruler]

How do you differentiate between dragons that have the water element and those that have the fire element? I assume that Ao Guang's family would technically be dragons that can use only water. And according to jttw, dragons can control the weather (clouds, water, etc.). However, how do you know which dragons can control fire? Or can be assumed that all dragons can handle these two elements? Or a sea dragon that controls water couldn't control fire?

I guess I would ask you what makes you think dragons can control fire? I know that European dragons that it’s a common connection to their folklore, but Chinese dragons are connected to water such as rivers, oceans, and rain. I don’t think I’ve seen Chinese dragons that control fire if it wasn’t connected to the weather in some way.

Like I'm sure there are but I guess I don't understand what makes you think that dragons would have a fire element instead of a water element. Can you give an example from maybe like a story or something? I've read a lot of chinese tales but certainly not ALL so it would be cool to see how other tales could show dragons in a different light.

[dr-chalk]

Ao family reunion

[rayjayoo]

teef! TOOFERS! CHOMPERS EVEN!! >:D

[deliveryboysomewhatequaltoheaven]

The Macaque Problem

I would definitely say Macaque's character is an issue for the show. His redemption arc is not good, and it brings down the other characters and takes up their time and arcs.

When we first see him in S1 and 2, he is an old frenemy of Wukong's bitter over an unspecified falling out. He is angry and lashing out at MK and his friends, projecting this feud onto them. He claims MK didn't notice his friends were gone, but we see him trying to call Mei, and that the others were resentful, but we see tang looking upset being forced to attack MK. Seems like a clear enough villain concept with some room forward right? But S3 and 4 derail that.

Chronologically, we can talk about the Brotherhood, (which he was not a part of in JTTW, and he complained abt being left behind in S2 but here he was?? Eh) He claims that Wukong pushed ahead without thinking or listening and that's what got him trapped in the mountain. But what do we see before Wukong surrenders to the Jade Emperor?

The rest of the Brotherhood trapped by the Celestial Army. We don't see Wukong fight the Jade Emperor. He was an immortal shapeshifter, I have no doubt Wukong could have escaped. But he turned himself in to save his friends. Was he in a bad mood in the mountain? I mean, yeah, but Macaque doesn't seem to consider that he's free because Wukong is not.

We still don't know about the final falling out and Macaque's seeming death, though S5 implies that Macaque pushed the situation. Still, it's not good, because if they can't properly resolve it, than it's just going to remain between them and Macaque's grudge against Wukong can't be properly moved past, which hampers his arc.

But then S3 happens, and honestly I think Macaque's motives are dumb. Why is he trying to get in the way of them stopping LBD if he also wants to be free of her? It's a positive for you! But they also start trying to portray him as someone who 'calls Wukong out' because S3 and 4 really try to make Wukong out to be a jerk. He made mistakes but it was a desperate situation against the Lady Bone Demon. I love Mei and Pigsy but they also call him out when they said nothing about the Fourth Ring/visions.

'You will make things worse for MK when I personally attack and threaten him and his loved ones for my own gain' OK Macaque!

But the S3 special is the real kicker. Macaque apparently changes his mind and we don't know why. They show some mistrust at first until MK says he knows Macaque is not a bad guy deep down... but doing one or two helpful things after three seasons of stalking, threatening, and attacking the gang doesn't exactly convince me.

And then this bit from the S3 special finale:

Uh, how??? Wukong is right, Macaque was until very recently willing throw everyone under the bus so he could get away from LBD. It's pretty rich that he would call Wukong self centered. Whatever Wukong did was trying to stop her and protect MK from having to deal with it.

In the S4 special, they also have Macaque talk about Azure Lion, and again I'm not sure why we are listening to him on characters' morality

Says the guy who wrote a play about how 'Sun Wukong is a big old meany who hurt my precious little fee-fees' if I never see or hear the hero and warrior monologue again it will be too soon but I will say he at least seems to consider he might have been wrong, though they don't really dwell on it...

Even in S5, we get this bit.

Once again, Wukong is right!! After 3 seasons of attacking and harassing MK I don't think he really gets to give advice. Plus WUKONG WAS TRYING TO TALK TO MK ABOUT IT RIGHT BEFORE THIS! But MK was not doing well emotionally and Wukong was trying to be mindful and not push!

And honestly I think they all let Macaque off easy for the S3 events, he literally choked out Mei and threatened to kill her! (Sidenote: he can call MK and Tang by their names, but Mei was just 'the girl' throughout S3... urgh)

But when Wukong gets mad at him, Macaque says "I didn't do this!" Well you forced the gang to do something that you didn't know what the consequences of would be! But Tang intervenes saying he did it, even though he awkwardly admits Macaque forced him but that he felt he should because of the golden cicada. Macaque later decides to leave the situation he forced. He later does help some, but doesn't really get held accountable for his part in everything.

But I guess it's fine bc at the end of the special MK gives him this drawing. This is actually kind of really upsetting and again makes little sense considering how much he and Mei care about other otherwise. But nah Macaque is cool now it's fine...

And Ao Guang! This is a tougher one, but in S5 they had Macaque let himself get sent to the Pagoda to buy others time... well I just say that's karma!

And Macaque comes back, of course, but we never hear more about Ao Guang. Even when they send the power of the Stones out, we do in fact see the East Sea Palace and the attendant, but not him, so his fate is unclear.

So yeah, overall, I think he was forgiven too fast, the root issue of his fight with Wukong unaddressed, and he takes up time from the others characters.

[mintaikk]

I don't think the fandom talks enough about how Mei can turn into a gigantic fucking dragon

[imagobin]

More Ao Guang Sillies

Finally got to color these old sketches! First two are inspired by scenes from the movie, and then... I had to draw him getting his snoot booped, that was very much a necessity

[imminent-danger-came]

Mei: "We trusted you! All of us! How could you lead us into the fight without a real plan? 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)

-

Mei: “Inaction is careless! If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing! I would watch my sword shatter into pieces a thousands times, so long as I used it to protect the ones I care about. If you're just gonna sit here and screw around, the maybe you don't deserve power.” Ao Lie: "And perhaps with greater caution you would still have your sword. I know a thing or two about disappointing people, about feeling powerless to protect them, but I do not sense that you are a disappointment! Even now, locked away in imminent danger your thoughts are to protect others!" Mei: "But how am I supposed to protect everyone if I don't have my sword?" Ao Lie: "A sword is powerless, without the hand that wields it."

(4x05 Court of the Yellow Robed Demon)

-

Mei: "How dare you! My friends are in danger because of you! And you're not even going to stick around to finish the job!?"

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

-

Something something "I just wanted to protect the people I cared about—to be strong enough. I lost sight of why I was doing any of it." something something the people your trying to protect being put in danger anyways something something, Mei was so upset at Wukong in s3 because she felt SWK had failed at protecting the people he cared about, aka "If you’re not giving everything you have to protect the people you care about, you are nothing".

[acoraxia]

no cause shipping is fun and all until you start shipping actual worshipped gods like the Jade Emperor or Nu Wa with LMK characters tbh

I cant explain why but it makes me personally feel… iffy

[foxgonyoom]

If the sets do indicate what’s going down and the group really are going to be visiting Ao Guang again, I hope Ao Guang effectively has a heart attack when he sees Nezha with them (assuming Nezha doesn’t get sidelined by one-punch ice or something like that again).

Not cause I hate the guy, I think he’s pretty alright honestly (compared to other figures of authority in Journey to the West at least).

But rather because it would be hilarious to see the esteemed Dragon of the East metaphorically shit his pants upon seeing the first person (as far as I know) who kicked his ass, accompanying the now very glitchy, furry, and crater-creating-prone disciple of the Monkey King, who also made Ao Guang effectively eat the seabed (at least in regards to pride. I don’t think they ever actually fought in the book as far as I know).

You can’t tell me he’d have fully moved on from that. He definitely hadn’t moved on from Monkey King stealing the staff, at least not completely. And the monkey guy only got it cause he was intimidating the dragon, who didn’t wanna get beaten to a pulp again. Nezha kicked Ao Guang’s ass when the former was a kid. Not to mention killed his son, or at the very least kicked his ass too. That MF is gonna remember!

[lotus-duckies]

sobbing crying throwing up

[astrcthesiai-archived]

orange lily ; a flower of hatred .. for a time where my muse was made (or nearly made) physically ill or unwell due to hatred for someone. (Feiyu)

Feiyu would most likely dislike Blackbeard. For Feiyu, they did not have to kill someone for their devil fruit. Sure, they had to knock out some people in order to steal, but Feiyu felt it was not necessary. Even if the official, who was promised the Ao Guang devil fruit, was corrupt.

They are disgusted by the means by which Blackbeard stole Whitebeard's devil fruit ability. They nearly gagged on their dumpling when they heard it from Miyuki and Ana.

The only way the thief feels comfortable killing someone is if it is the only way to protect someone important to them.

[kefi-catfish]

Soulslike AU

Once upon a time, Wukong looked up to the sky with eyes full of light and aspirations. His soul sang with dreams and desire to touch the heavens. To become part of the Celestial Order, one of the many stars illuminating the mortal world - the brightest, the biggest, outshining all the others.

Not just for himself, at first. For his subjects, his lands, his moon that kept him warm on cold nights. But it was hardly magnanimity that was at the top of everything. Behind the desire to give to others sprouted just as much a desire to take, to appropriate only for himself.

In canon, Wukong is humbled and shown the right path where cruelty has no place. In this AU, Heaven fails to catch the skittish monkey. In his greed, the Sage ceases to see boundaries. There is not a single living being who can stop a wild animal who thinks he is a god. There are no rules. Only greed.

With unlimited power, Wukong continued to climb forward. Further, higher. Why stop there? Why worry about the pitiful lives crunching beneath his claws and teeth? Ahead, at the very top, lies the forbidden poisonous fruit. The deities and other celestial creatures meet the blood-intoxicated monkey in all arms. Even with sweat dripping down their necks and weapons in their trembling hands.

The Celestial Realm loses with a cacophony of alien screams and falling debris from buildings.

Many years pass before one wanderer meets one child in a devastated world.

Wukong hardly had a plan, but his treacherous actions were clearly sequential. Heaven fell first, then the bloody gaze traveled lower. Dragons were a race that had been despised by the Sage long ago. Only the most skittish and the most unsightly survived, hiding their brightly colored skins at the bottom of the seas and oceans. One of the first places Wukong decided to visit with his bloody march was the palace where the staff was located, whose iron he was using to take lives.

Ao Guang was the one who decided to fight back against the madness that enveloped the King's mind. He fought desperately, with the realization that he could not win the battle. This gave enough time for those who also realized their own and the world's hopelessness to escape.

Nailing the dragon's body with his staff, Wukong kept the old man awake long enough to show him what happens to those who go against the Great Sage. Mei, being the youngest and most confident at her misfortune was a gift of fate to Wukong. With her help - Wukong could give a perfect lesson to the surviving worms that called themselves dragons about the foolishness of the idea of fighting back. Having shackled the girl, he left her at the very shore, with no way to get back out to sea. The bayonets-strong ribbons glinting in the sunlight from every attempt to break free of the shackles-clenched the bulky body with scorching pain. She remained there, still struggling to break free, unable to see the light of the sun that had long ago hidden the stench of death Wukong had brought.

And Sun Wukong, the Monkey King.

He wears a Macaque scarf and a cape made of Azure Lion skin.

(if you find any errors in the text, I apologize in advance. English is not my first language)

[asleep-kat]

Ships/duo names in LMK

Sooooo, there's alot of ship/duo names in lmk. So i thought, hey maybe i should compile all of them into one post! Shouldn't be too hard, right?

Haha anyways, just some things to note : most ships/duo names will have two or more names due to it being somewhat obscure ( and sometimes kinda problematic, but i'm adding it either way ). And i might've also missed some, so if you know another obscure ship or whatever, lmk in the tags or comments ^^

Most popular name used in this color

Least popular is still in black text

If there is no yellow text, then that means that either all of them are widely used or that i am not sure which one is more popular yet

----

Sunburst duo - Monkey king & MK

Soysauce duo - Macaque & MK

Fallenstar duo - Macaque & Monkey MK

Stonefruit trio - Macaque & Monkey king & MK

Goldendragon/meik/JadeMonkey/Carambola/Starfruit - Mei/MK

Jackfruit/M&M/Starburst duo - Mei & MK

Dragonfruit/Wasabi/Peppermint/Dragonfire - Mei/Red son

Traffic light trio - Mei & Red son & MK

Disco Light Squad - MK & Mei & Redson & Nezha

Chimera/Bell Pepper Crew - Mei/Red son/MK

Wasabi Duo - Mei & Monkey king

DarkHorse Duo - Mei & Macaque

Shadowpeach - Monkey king/Macaque

Pastdowpeach/past shadowpeach - past Monkey king/past Macaque ( this is basically just shadowpeach but is, ofcourse, in the past )

frostbite - Possessed Monkey king/Macaque

Sundial/eclipse duo - Macaque & Monkey king

Hot topic duo/charcoal duo - Redson & Macaque

Freenoodles/Jiaozi/Cookbook - Tang/Pigsy

Spicynoodles - MK/Redson

List of MK & Redson names can be found here

Flame twins - Mei & Redson

Inferno duo - Nezha & Redson

Royalty duo - Nezha & Monkey King

Lotuspeach - Nezha/Monkey king

Tintedlotus duo - Nezha & Macaque

Sunmoonlotus - Nezha/Monkey king/Macaque

Sunset trio - Nezha & Monkey King & Macaque

Evening stone squad - Nezha & Monkey King & Macaque & MK

Lotusmoon - Nezha/Chang'e

Lotusnoodles - Nezha/MK

Red ribbons duo - Nezha & MK

Flaminglotus - Nezha/Redson

Silverlotus - Nezha/Yin

Waterlily duo - Nezha & Sandy

Pinkpuppy/Mountainfire - Erlang & Nezha

Shadowhound - Erlang/Macaque

Heavenlypeaches ( or Jiankong in jttw ) - Erlang/Monkey king

Heavenlybeast - Erlang/Monkey king/Macaque

Chowchow - Erlang/Azure lion

HuntingHawk - Erlang/Peng

Violetskies - Erlang/Peng/Macaque

Heavenlytusk - Erlang/Yellowtusk

Moongaze - Erlang/Chang'e

Royalduties - Erlang/Ao Guang

Floodstudies - Erlang/Tang

Wildboar - Erlang/Pigsy

Lapdog/Presidental Election - Erlang/Not Mayor

CelestialSilk - Erlang/Spider queen

Monkie kids - MK & Mei & Pigsy & Tang & Sandy ( sometimes Monkey king, Macaque, Nezha, and Red son is included too )

Breakfastshipping - Pigsy/Tang/Monkey king/Macaque ( aka all of MK's dads ) ( sometimes Sandy is included too )

MKdadshipping - Pigsy/Tang/Monkey king

Sandwich shipping/FishBallNoodles - Sandy/Pigsy/Tang

Sandwich trio - Sandy & Pigsy & Tang

The demon bull family - Demon bull king & Princess iron fan & Red son ( maybe even the bull clones too? Idk )

The brotherhood - Monkey king & Macaque & Azure lion & Peng & Yellowtusk

The pilgrims/great companions - Tang Sanzang & Monkey king & Ao Lie & Zhu Baije & Sha Wujing

Falseidle duo/Jadecicada - Ao Lie & Tang Sanzang

Sunshower - Monkey king & Sha Wujing

FreePeachBuns - Tang/Monkey King/Pigsy

Freepeaches/suntang/peachtea/Tangypeaches/Goldenpeach/Goldenpages/Peachbug/Stinkbug/Sepiapages/Immortalscribe/Peachyquill - Tang/Monkey king

Suntang/Tripsun/Tripisun/Goldenpeach - Monkey king/Tang Sanzang (Tripitaka) ( Both Suntang and Goldenpeach is used for Tripitaka/Wukong and Tang/Wukong )

Inkypages/hibiscus tea/tintedLenses - Macaque/Tang

FruityTea/FreeFruits/FruityLenses/Mixedberries/Mixedtea - Macaque/Monkey King/Tang

WhiskerMisters - Ao lie & Azure lion

Stableboys/Dragonpeach - Ao lie/Monkey king

Clumsyshadow/moonydragon - Macaque/Ao lie

Goldrush duo - Golden tusk & Monkey king

celestialsteeds (duo) - Golden tusk & Azure lion

gajasimha shipping - Golden tusk/Azure lion

Eclipsemane/BlueEclipse - Monkey king/Azure lion/Macaque

Lionpeach/goldenlion/sunstone/Fuzzypeaches/TamarinShipping/MalachitesunShipping - Azure lion/Monkey king

BlueMoon/Kalaharishipping - Macaque/Azure lion

Barbeque Shipping/Bullion - Demon bull king/Azure lion

Moonpaw - Chang'e/Azure lion

Saberscales duo - Mei & Azure lion

Memoryscroll - Not Mayor/Azure lion

Inkyfeathers/Fuzzyfeathers/Goldengriffin/griffinshipping - Peng/Azure lion

Blackquill/ShadowWings - Macaque/Peng

Phoenixfree/Phoenixtea - Tang/Peng

FlyingPigs - Pigsy/Peng

Moonmonkey/Moonstoneshipping/Peachcake - Chang'e/Monkey king

BlackBunny/blackberry/shadowmoon/shadowbunny/DoubleMoon/NewMoon - Chang'e/Macaque

FruitCake/reflectionshipping - Monkey King/Macaque/Chang'e

Moonduo/Mooncake duo - Chang'e & Macaque

Peachcakeduo - Chang'e & Monkey king

Sugarplum/StormOcean/Lunar tides/Mangotea/Hurricaneshipping/Shadowwave - Sandy/Macaque

Seamonkey/Bluemonkey - Sandy/Monkey king

Silktea - Sandy/Huntsman

SeaPig/Seasalt - Sandy/Pigsy

Jasminetea/Bluetea - Sandy/Tang

Monkfish duo - Sandy & Tang

Dandylion/sealion - Sandy/Azure lion

Matcha duo - Sandy & Mei

Sleepover trio - Sandy & Mei & MK

RoyalArachnid/Ladybug/ScorpionSpider - Spider queen/Scorpion queen

ShadowVenom/Blackwidow - Macaque/Spider Queen

VenomPeach/Royalty/PoisonPeach - Monkey king/Spider Queen

DragonVenom - Mei/Spider Queen

Silkdragon - Ao lie/Spider Queen

Nightshade/IronSpider - Spider Queen/Princess iron fan

Venombunny/spidermoon/venombunnie - Chang'e/Spider Queen

Sleepbug/moonbuggy - Chang'e/Scorpion Queen

IntellectualSting - Tang/Scorpion Queen

Peachbun - Pigsy/Monkey king

Inkynoodles/SmokedBacon/Squidink/SquidInkNoodle - Macaque/Pigsy

RoastedCake/BaconMoonpie/PinkMoon/Baconpancakes/moonpie - Pigsy/Chang’e

Ironbull/Irondumpling - Princess iron fan/Demon bull king

BBQ - Pigsy/Demon bull king

BullMonkey/Sweetbeef - Demon bull king/Monkey king

Ironpeach - Princess iron fan/Monkey king

IronDragon - Mei/Princess iron fan

BlackFire - Macaque/Red son

Spicypeach - Red son/monkey king

bloodymoon - Red son/Chang'e

Firewall/fireant - Red son/Syntax

Techsupport - Red son & Syntax

Cyberhunt - Huntsman/Syntax

ShadowCoding - Macaque/Syntax

MonkieTech - MK/Syntax

Silkymoon - Huntsman/Macaque

Silkpeach/Sunset(shipping)/Webbedpeach - Huntsman/Monkey king

SunsetShipping - Huntsman/Macaque/Monkey King

Dragonsilk - Huntsman/Mei's dad

GiantPeach - Monkey king/Goliath (strong spider)

Giantshipping - Sandy/Goliath

Sweetpotatonoodles - Tang/Goliath

SpiderDragon/KomodoDragon - Mei/Goliath

SpinDragon - Mei/Spindrax

Toxicinsanity/Toxicsanity/Ghostspider - Not Mayor/Syntax

Shadowpuppet/Paranormal - Macaque/Not Mayor

Ghostpepper - Red son/Not Mayor

Mysticbones - Monkey King/Not Mayor

Ghostscholar - Tang/Not Mayor

Blizzard Duo - MK & LBD

White void duo - Azure lion & LBD

Skullkey - LBD/Not Mayor

RottenPlums - Macaque/LBD

Rottenpeach/PeachDrupe - LBD/Monkey king

Stardust/moondust/MilkyWay - LBD/Chang'e

Rottenfruits - Monkey king/LBD/Macaque

Spiderspirit - Huntsman/LBD

PeachyNoodles - MK/Monkey King

PlumsyNoodles/ShadowNoodles - MK/Macaque

FruityNoodles - MK/Macaque/Monkey King

Orangemint - Mk & Little girl ( Bai he )

Shadowsuccessor/raspberry duo - Macaque & Little girl ( Bai he )

Junebug duo - Tang & Mei

Darksoynoodles - ink MK/MK

Doodleduo/Chaos duo - ink MK & MK

Inkyflames (shipping) - ink MK/Samadhi Mei

Scoville trio - Ink MK/samadhi fire Mei/Redson

Blackpepper - Ink MK/Redson

Mosaic trio/Mirage trio/Abstract trio - Ink MK & MK & Reflection MK

SpecialDelivery/DoublePackage/DoubleWrap - MK & Delivery clone

MetallicGold/GoldenHues - MK & Artist clone

starvingartist - MK/Artist clone

GoldenBirthday/FunkyMonkey - MK & Porty clone

Partyanimal - MK/Porty clone

DecorativeDelivery/ArtisticMotivation/AutoPainting - Delivery clone & Artist clone

Partyfavor - Artist clone & Porty clone

Graffiti(shipping) - Artist clone/Porty clone

PizzaParty/SurpriseParty/CarStereo/CarRadio/DeliveryDisco -Delivery clone & Porty clone

Discodragon - Porty clone/Mei

PaintedDragon - Artist clone/Mei

Mixtape/Glowstick/Firebeats - Porty clone/Red son

Firealpaca- Redson/artist clone

Hot wheels- Redson/delivery clone

Hot heels/customer service/Redshoe - Redson/shoe store employee

Locket shipping/Icytop - Not Mayor/Shoe Store Employee

Hovershoes - Hoverboard guy/Shoe Store Employee

Snapdragon - Demon accountant/Dragon stylist

GoldenPork - Pigsy/Jin

SilverPork - Pigsy/Yin

FastFood - Pigsy/Jin/Yin

Fizzyshipping/sunkist - MK/Jin

Slushieshipping - Mei/Yin

Butterflypeanoodles - Pigsy/Tang/Sandy/Yin

Shadowbubbles - Monkey king/Goldfish demon

Wetfruits - Macaque/Goldfish demon

Peachbite/sunkissed/poisonpeach - Monkey king/Xiangliu

Milky way/JadeRabbit/Dragonbubble/Mooncakedragon/moondragon - Chang'e/Mei

Celestial king - Monkey king/Kui mulang

starrymoon - Macaque/Kui mulang

Souldragon (shipping)/WolfDragon - Kui mulang/Ao lie

Jadewolf duo - Kui mulang & Ao lie

ShadowSerpent - Macaque/Xiangliu

Eclipse twins - Rumble & Savage ( Macaque's clones )

Megalopeach - Sun Wukong/sans undertale ( true, canon, and real and i'm not ashamed that i've made art of it before )

Rosegold duo - Mk & Steven universe ( hi )

( Thanks gh0st-t0wn3, Lmkthings-ela, Anon, my oomf goldendragonleaf, Anxious-anon-time, and tsatsked for helping me with most of these ^^ )

[ryin-silverfish]

Headcanon: Dragons of the Four Seas

(inspired by a recent discussion with @the-monkey-ruler)

-Although Chinese dragons are water deities, there are dragons who control stuff other than water: Cold Dragons under the Dragon King of the North can freeze stuff, and Bailong Ma used to be a Fire Dragon in pre-novel variants of JTTW.

"Wouldn't it be interesting if the four major lineage of dragons all have their unique side-power, apart from water and weather manipulation?"

-It starts off as this, then spins out of control and becomes one giant worldbuilding exercise.

East Sea:

-The eastern direction is traditionally associated with the Wood element. However, I feel like plant manipulation will be too obvious.

-So instead, they are the master of Thunder and Wind——the trigrams that represent these two things, Zhen and Xun, are both Wood-aligned.

-Their lightning has a notable azure hue, and have adapted the force of Thunder specifically for underwater usage, creating highly potent sonic blasts as well as what basically amount to a sonar spell.

-They kinda consider themselves the archetypal dragon, representative of their kind, and certainly have the attitude to match.

-Like, they claim to be descended from the Azure Dragon of the East, even though the idea that a Divine Beast of the Four Directions, stellar guardian of the entire eastern section of the sky, can reproduce is...dubious at best.

-Don't you mention the time Ao Guang got bullied by Wukong. Or Nezha. Or Huaguang. Or the Eight Immortals. They are very touchy about that. Violently touchy.

-They also have close relations with water-dwelling Yakshas, who act as a sort of elite mercenaries in their military campaigns against other seaborn demons and rogue flood dragons.

-Basically, the proud generals of dragonkind, with a vast weapon collection to match. The dragon king's family also name their kids after Celestial Stems and Earthly Branches, much like the ancient Shang dynasty rulers.

-The East Sea dragons are the only lineage who has an official representative of the Celestial Host stationed in their territory, who's only known by his title, the "Water-dividing General of the East Sea".

-He seems to be an older sort of god, the half-man, half-beast ones who look like they walk out of an illustration of the Book of Mountains and Seas.

-Most of the time, he takes the form of a seal, lounging around on rocks and watching sunrises, and has the personality of a sarcastic old man.

-Whether he's here to keep an eye on them, or they are supposed to keep an eye on him, no one can say. Ao Guang certainly treats him like an old acquaintance, though.

West Sea:

-They are a bit tricky. West is associated with Metal, and the two Metal-aligned trigrams, Qian and Dui, represent Heaven and Marsh...which don't neatly map onto weather and natural phenomena.

-Then I had an idea. What if they have a natural affinity for heavenly bodies? In ancient times, the movements of stars are believed to affect weather, after all, not to mention the sun and the moon.

-This affinity can be figurative——their lineage has a strong relationship with the stellar deities of the 28 Lunar Mansion and Dipper Mansion——or literal.

-Like a natural talent for divination and astrology, predicting the future from the patterns of stars. They are no governors of fate, unlike the actual Star Lords, they are just fate's weather forecast guy.

-This puts them in an awkward position, though: the stellar gods act according to the Jade Emperor's orders, some of which are very much secret and beyond their clearance levels, but the best scions of the West Sea can just infer it from the movement of stars alone.

-Which makes them obsessed with proving their loyalty, as well as enforcing a draconian standard of secrecy, just so they wouldn't get into trouble for knowing something they weren't supposed to know.

-Even more rarely, they can harness the power of astral light. Most of the time, such light is of lunar nature——Star Lord Taiyin also holds sway over the ocean's tides, though it is an easily forgotten power.

-But sometimes, that light comes from a fiery, lively, or ominous star, and the power that results is just as temperamental as their stellar origins.

-Enters Ao Lie, Third Prince of the West Sea, who has highly potent fire powers despite not being a South Sea dragon, and became the subject of some rather tasteless gossips about his parentage the moment it awakened.

-All dragons love their pearls: it's kinda like an ordinary yaoguai's "inner core", an orb of solidified Qi that can be spit out and store separately from the body, but much more powerful and culturally significant.

-Well, the West Sea dragons use their pearls in the same way a Feng Shui master uses their geomantic compass, or a Zhou Yi diviner, their turtle shell and copper coins. The ones left behind by venerable ancestors are especially treasured, believed to lead to clearer insights and more reliable readings.

-Through that lens, Ao Lie's burning of one such pearl is the equivalent of descrating the dead + destroying a priceless, irreplacable supercomputer.

-Intentional or not, to a lineage that is so serious about their discipline, taboos, and absolute loyalty to the Celestial Host, it is enough to warrant death.

-To no one's surprise, they are the diplomats, the inter-department coordinators when it comes to weatherly business. Not just between relevant celestial bureaus like the Thunder and Water Bureaus, but also between local dragon kings of rivers and lakes.

-As a result, the West Sea lineage is the most open to marrying non-oceanic dragons, even though these are often out of practical and political needs.

-That's my explanation for why, in JTTW, Ao Run's nine nephews either guard rivers or work for JE/the Buddha. The West Sea lineage has really turned nepotism into an art form.

North Sea:

-In JTTW, we know that they have Cold Dragons that can chill stuff. It is certainly not too much of a stretch to imagine them as the ice-and-snow specialists, the ones you summon when you are sick of the heat or need to insta-freeze something.

-Historically, the "North Sea" in Chinese texts refer to Lake Baikal. However, I think it is cooler if their palace is literally in the arctic zone, under the ice caps.

-Instead of garden-variety shrimp and crab soldiers, they have lots of cultivated marine mammals. And elite legions of belugas and narwhals and bowhead whales.

-The smallest and most isolationist lineage also carries the grimest duty, as border patrols and prison wardens. Not only is the North Sea a hotspot of rifts that lead to the Underworld, it also conceals the portal to the Evil-Vanquishing Mansion of the North Pole——realm of Emperor Zhenwu, Lord of the North.

-Kind of like the Lord Father of the East and Queen Mother of the West, he is the sovereign of the northern direction and the Water element, as well as the direct superior of Xuanwu, one of the Four Divine Beasts.

-And his job? Subduing demons. The Evil-Vanquishing Mansion is basically a fleet of giant, hollowed-out icebergs, packed to the brim with powerful demons, ghosts, and rogue immortals.

-Any prisoners that make an unlikely escape will emerge into the North Sea, where the vigilant army of the dragon king awaits. However, that is not their main duty; it is the Eye of the North Sea that they swear to eternally guard.

-And the prisoner of the Eye is none other than Shen Gongbao, the infamous traitor of the Chan Sect who was behind most major conflicts in the War of Investiture.

-It was said that, though his body was stuffed into the Eye of the North Sea as punishment, in the end, his soul still gets deified as a minor water god.

-However, if there is only a mindless body left in there, why the need for such heavy security? Only the most experienced elders and veterans are allowed to go into the Eye's vicinity to check on Yuanshi Tianzun's seals, and repeated visit by the same people is strictly prohibited.

-Perhaps, instead of a split of soul and body, deification has split the soul itself: one half is exorcised of all the undesirable qualities, the other left to stew and simmer in them until it mutates into something unrecognizable.

-Such is the rumor among the North Sea's younger scions. But folks will make up anything to pass the time in those long, cold arctic nights, and whatever the truth is, it doesn't matter, as long as the seal still holds.

South Sea:

-Their element, Fire, is directly opposite to the North Sea's; much like the Cold Dragons, the Fire Dragons of the South Sea are heat specialists, creators of droughts and wildfires as well as bringers of warm winds.

-And their fire is a peculiar variant of Earthly Fire. Unlike Heavenly Fires, which draw from the blaze of the Three-legged Sun Crow, or the True Fires immortals used in internal alchemy, Fire Dragons channel the power of earth's flaming veins: that is, undersea volcanos and thermal vents.

-Though they usually display their power in less flashy ways——steam clouds, a playful whiff of sulfur, a blast of warm wind on a winter night, a Fire Dragon fully on the offensive is just like a mini live volcano, unleashing streams of magma and scalding smoke clouds.

-When dragons are mentioned as one of the Eight Classes of Demigods in Buddhism, more often than not, they are from the South Sea lineage.

-Like, the most popular Bodhisattva in Asia, Guanyin, resides in the South Sea. It's all but granted that the local dragons would also be heavily influenced by Buddhist teachings, in the same way their northern kins are drawn to the entourage of Zhenwu.

-Fun fact: the imagery of dragons has appeared in Chinese art since the Neolithic period, but the specific worship of dragons as gods of the Four Seas is a result of Buddhist influence.

-Prior to that, the gods of the Four Seas in the Book of Mountains and Seas are all beasts with human faces, wearing snakes as earrings or standing on a snake.

-And in Sui-Tang era works, some variants merged the Four Seas gods with the Four Directions gods of ancient times, and said that the god of the South Sea was Zhurong.

-A.k.a. the fire god that defeated Gonggong (in the most well-known version of the tale), who, being the sore loser he is, went and knocked over the sky support pillar with his head. Thus, Nvwa's patching of the sky.

-Legends of the South Sea lineage claim that the Fire Dragons draw their power from Zhurong's embers, and their king is descended from the two dragon mounts of the primodial fire god.

-To the outrage of more traditionalist dragons, they often intermarry with Nagas, the serpentine water gods of the Western Lands. Guanyin's dragon girl attendant is born of one such union, between the Naga lord Sagara and a princess of the South Sea.

-Their palace is located inside an underwater volcano, said to be the remnant of Zhurong's great forge. Giant tube worm gardening is a popular hobby among the South Sea nobility; however peculiar it may appear to outsiders, these colorful creatures thrive in the union of Fire and Water, much like the lineage itself.

(Pictures of the Four Dragon Kings come from Nezha 1979.)

(The animated film makes the dragon king of the West a black dragon, and the North, a white one, a reversal of the colors traditionally associated with the two directions——West = White, North = Black.）

[deliveryboysomewhatequaltoheaven]

If Ao Guang is still around, I wonder about the other Dragon Kings. If Ao Ji and Ao Lie/The White Dragon Horse are gone, will we find out what happened to them? And what about Ao Lie’s elder brother, Ao Moang? And what about Ao Qin (Dragon of the North) and Ao Shun (Dragon of the South)? And any other children of theirs? Or their sister who had nine sons including minor antagonist  Tuolong? (There isn’t an official family tree, sadly, so I can’t say who else those might be)

I imagine Ao Bing won’t come up, since that story was from Investiture of the Gods, not JTTW. Also, Nezha and Ao Guang are both heroic here, so Nezha murdering Ao Guang’s son might be tough to spin here.

Still, it would nice to know about them, and also have a potential big family of these four clans and their branches! I really would love to see it.

[digitalagepulao]

Expedition Pilgrims

Sha Wujing (435cm): His outfit is mostly inspired by Mongolian clothes since he's found in the Gobi desert stretch of the journey. His bangles are made of fossil bone, and he can use the waist cloth as a headwrap during adverse weather. His markings are inspired by African Lungfish and Mudfish fins, as they are species that exist somewhere between water and dry air. The beasts on his knees are an extension of him, and he can see and speak through them as needed. His beard and long hair can have Ghibli physics depending on his mood and emotions. Zhu Wuneng (~300cm): Inspired by Northern Tibetan clothes, as that's the region the group recruits him. Traditional clothes tend to have way more accessories and golden details so I had to simplify a bit. His features are a mix of wild boars and Indonesian babirusa, with the iconic bristles on his head. I leaned on ceremonial Tibetan swords and necklace beads for the decorations on his rake. His vest can be closed, he just prefers not to most of the time. Sun Wukong (125cm): I've already commented on his design over here, but I'll elaborate that the yellow shirt is the one he gained from Tripitaka soon after he was released, while the pants and red half-robe were the garments he was given by Guan Yin. The hoops on his feet and purple beads were reacquired back in Huaguoshan when he first fled the pilgrimage, heading to his family instead of Ao Guang's palace. (A-ma and Jinju gave them to him so he'll always have something to home to remember them by, as well as where he first started, as the beads were gained during his lessons with Subodhi.) Tripitaka (163cm): This is but one of his many outfits since travel can be rough on clothes, and even more so when you get kidnapped by demons and thrown off your horse all the time. He wears the usual orange monk robes, with some kind of travel clothes over them. He gains some fur boots from Boquin for cold weather but usually prefers sandals most of the time. He seldom uses the cassock and crown he received from Guan Yin, save for when he pays respects to temples and holy sites, but the staff is a constant companion. Ao Lie (167cm, 130cm at the shoulder as horse): Being effectively in exile until the journey is complete, he wears less fancy clothes than he usually would as a prince, but his status still shows. I tried to balance more casual hanfu of the era with some armor parts, like the waist guard and armored boots. He was given the skill to shapeshift into a horse by Guan Yin when she commanded him to wait for the chosen pilgrim monk, so he can shift at will, but preferably when the tack has been taken off. Speaking of, tack is lost and replaced multiple times during the journey, so I didn't depict any specific one.

my Expedition AU designs and heights for the five lads, ive spent so much time on this its not even funny lololol but hey it's done!! i'm free!!