#tw: mention of SA

[feyres-divorce-lawyer]

feyre: heavily implies that rhysand was raping her

tamlin and lucien who watched her be objectified, humiliated, degraded, tortured, coerced, and sexually assaulted by rhysand for three months, not to mention he has killed thousands of innocents and his public seat of power is called the court of nightmares: believes her

feyre: ugh wow i can’t believe they would think such a thing about my totally wonderful mate who has never done anything wrong in his entire life. i’m gonna destroy their home

[moonlightdancer26]

Can you give your take on this? Because for the life of me I can’t comprehend why lily started dating James right after the worst memory.

Like yeah you’re upset and rightfully fair too, but I feel like she sorta had a liking for James way before the whole thing with sev, like she must’ve thought he’s amusing or something, and I kinda feel like severus might have seen it too, but of course that’s just my thinking.

Correction: She didn’t actually date James right after SWM, she began dating him in 7th year, which was around 2 years after SWM occurred. I don’t think she could be that cruel to date James right after he did something that awful to Snape lol.

I do think she was at least attracted to James during SWM, JKR herself has even confirmed that Lils somewhat fancied James during that period (“You’re a woman, you know what I mean!” no.. no I don’t, JKR 🤨). Her behaviour with James in SWM was concerning as hell, her best friend was legitimately on the ground after just having been choked with soapsuds and her first reaction was to not even glance at him and automatically start bickering with James and talking about his broomstick and his “stupid hair.” 💀 like Lily ily but.. wtf are you doing??

But to be fair to Lils, when she dated James, she genuinely thought he had changed and became a better person. She wouldn’t have dated him if he was still bullying Snape and other people, she would’ve still been attracted to him like she was in SWM, but she wouldn’t have actually gone out with him. However, my issue with that is the fact that she was willing to go out with him AFTER she saw that he SA’d and bullied her (at the time) best friend for YEARS. Lames shippers like to say “oh but she and Snape weren’t friends anymore!! She didn’t ‘owe him anything!’” but like.. at the time, Snape was her best friend of 7 years, and James (knowing that they were friends) had no issue blatantly torturing him and publicly exposing him and then blackmailed Lily (not Snape, but Lily herself) into going out with him. This isn’t an issue about Snape or them not being friends anymore or whatever, it’s the fact that James—at least at one point of his life—had literally zero issue hurting the person Lily cared about and blackmailing her and threatening to hex her. The fact that he was even capable of SA, choking someone with soapsuds, immobilising them, relentlessly bullying them for years, all while knowing that they were someone Lily cared about, should have sent her running for the HILLS. All of that is putting aside that he also had no problem blackmailing Lily and then threatening to hex her when she wanted to defend her friend (“?? wtf girl? How dare you try to help out your friend after I just SA’d them and blackmailed you?? You better not make me hex you too 😠”).

And to make things worse…… what did James even do to change?? Stop bullying people?? Wow so incredible of him! That’s definitely going to reverse the damage of the people he did all that shit to! We should all applaud him for doing the absolute bare minimum!! I should definitely look past him assaulting my now-ex-best-friend-but-who-was-still-someone-I-cared-about-and-respected-at-one-point-in-my-life for 6 whole years, even though he never actually apologised to my now-ex-best-friend… which… would’ve been the proof that he actually changed… Oh who cares? I’m definitely going to date him anyway!

Like, I don’t even care if I wasn’t friends with that person anymore, the fact that YOU had no problem assaulting that person and making their life miserable for YEARS even though you know how much I care about them and then trying to force me into going out with you would be enough for me to not want to go out with you. Simply knowing that you were capable of doing such atrocious things to ANY human being is horrifying. That isn’t even regarding that he showed no hard evidence of changing, merely stopping the bullying does nothing to heal the victim of what you put them through. Like, if I went out and killed a bunch of people, and I suddenly decide to stop killing people, does that mean I’m not guilty of murder?

So, I don’t hate Lily, but I’m definitely not fond of her character. All her scenes show her being pretty unpleasant and she ended up marrying JAMES of all people, so yeah I’m definitely not going to think very highly of her intelligence level…

Anyway, that’s my take. I’m sorry for how long this got, but your ask really triggered something in me that’s been waiting to rant about this 💀

[nastasya--filippovna]

Woman (walks into police station:) I need to report a crime. I've been SA'ed

Alec Hardy: What were you wearing?

Alec Hardy: ... Because we need that outfit to get DNA samples from so we can nail the filthy criminal bastard.

[hazbinbossbrainrot]

Dustmoth / Radiohusk fans: Eww! You like Huskerdust/Stolitz? That’s so toxic! Don’t you know that’s Stockholm Syndrome?

Stolitz / Huskerdust fans:

[gotstabbedbyapen]

Soo I was wondering if you had any hcs on the sibs reaction to the whole Artemis and Orion situation? I’m like obsessed with your hcs of the Olympians I love when people make them family

Thanks for enjoying my silly HCs of the Olympians! It's really fun doing them :3

Now on with the ask!

I imagine Orion as that one cousin nobody likes. He prides himself on being a powerful son of Poseidon and doesn't know his place. That will become his downfall.

Poseidon doesn't think Orion's arrogance a big deal, so he makes the younger Olympians get along withhis son. For some reason, Orion seemed to be infatuated with Artemis.

Artemis isn't naive of Orion's nature, she knows about Orion's attack on the daughter of his previous host (King Oinopion and his daughter Merope).

Because of this, Artemis immediately puts Orion on the blacklist and keeps him the hell away from her female companions.

We all know how Apollo is protective of his twin. Mess with Artemis and you will be greeted with an arrow in the ass. So when Orion came along, all the red flags were set up in his brain.

Persephone and Athena are highly alerted of Orion too, maybe even more protective than Apollo because they were both previously victim and almost victim of assault. No way in hell they will let their sister get in danger.

So when Orion tails behind Artemis during her hunts, either Apollo, Persephone, or Athena immediately follows along. They never let these two alone together.

When Orion almost attacked Opis, one of the virgin huntress, Artemis fatally shot him as retribution, but didn't outright kill him because of pressure from Poseidon.

After setting a the divine relevant of a restriction order on Orion, Artemis left him with a warning, "I've killed a giant before for kidnapping my mother. Don't think I will let you crawl away alive if you pull that shit again with my friends."

Ares pats Artemis on the back and says he would have killed Orion right away if he were Artemis.

Orion was mad and humiliated from Artemis' punishment, which is why he swore to become the greatest hunter ever seen and to outrank Artemis as revenge.

Orion wasn't killed by Artemis or Apollo eventually. It was Gaia who sent a scorpion to sting him after he proclaimed to kill all living animals on Earth.

When Orion died, the siblings (mostly Apollo and Persephone) suggested an eternal punishment for him. They turned him into a constellation and created the Scorpio constellation to forever chase him across the sky.

To this day, the siblings will spend time laying in an open field together and watch the chase of Orion and the scorpion.

[harperskazaar]

I'm sorry but upon rewatching Daredevil S1 it will never sit right with me that Karen and Foggy treated Matt's vigilantism as an addiction, especially when Matt says in S1E10 that the reason he first started being Daredevil was because he couldn't sleep over hearing a girl getting SA-ed by her own father.

I just think it's so weird for Foggy to know this and still act like Matt is being DD because he's thirsty for violence. Then it's weird for Karen to reduce Matt's vigilantism to an addiction when she treats Frank being the Punisher as a necessity? The serial killer who can't stop killing is not an addict but a man who can literally overhear cries of help from people because of his senses which keeps him up at night is an addict? Idk that will never sit well with me.

Matt has problems as a friend but I wish people will stop acting like Foggy and Karen are perfect friends and didn't contribute to the toxicity sometimes. Matt isn't 100% to blame for the friendships imploding and it's bizarre to see absolving Karen and Foggy of some blame.

Idk it's like people expect that all it takes for the friendship to work is for Matt to change everything about him to fit who Karen and Foggy want him to be, and paint him in a ultra negative light that he doesn't deserve...the literal definition of a toxic one-way friendship. Karen and Foggy needs to put in work too. That's how relationship works, no?

[copias-girl]

And how is my Father’s Day going, you might ask?

Well.

My grandfather on my dad’s side is in the hospital because he tried to commit suicide by drinking antifreeze every night for three weeks. But he molested me when I was little so ig don’t really care

But my poor Nonno (my Mom’s dad) who I love so so much is also in the hospital with heart and kidney failure

[mythologyfolklore]

Liù'ěr Míhóu joins the jttw gang, or: How to redeem an all-hearing celestial monkey with a superiority complex and a seriously bad attitude

(A/N: TW: mention of SA, genocide, alcoholism)

Chapter Twenty-eight: Awkward reunion

.

Èrláng looked slightly different from what Wùkōng remembered.

Maybe it was the different attire; white and beige robes, rather than the golden and cyan armour from before.

Maybe it was the unhealthy pallor and tired eyes; gone were the oppressive gaze and the fire of battle lust in those black orbs, so it seemed.

“Good evening, Illustrious Sage”, Wùkōng greeted politely, even though he had to refrain from gnashing his teeth.

“Great Sage Equal to Heaven”, Èrláng replied, with the most forced smile Wùkōng had ever seen. “You have converted to Buddhism and accepted its teachings. Surely you will be rewarded with a lotus throne of your own, once your journey is finished. Congratulations.”

Why is he telling me that? And why is he sounding so bittersweet about it?

But Wùkōng pretended not to hear the bitterness and replied: “That remains to be seen, so don't congratulate me just yet. We – that is, my master, my fellow disciples and myself – have been travelling for almost nine years now and with how it's going right now, it'll take another five. Anyway, we're staying at the Kingdom of Sacrifices right now and we're trying to help out the local Buddhist monks …”

From here he gave a run-down of the situation, while his former nemesis listened intently.

“… so I was hoping you could lend us a few hands”, finished Wùkōng.

Èrláng smiled, more genuinely this time. “Well, my brothers and I are just coming from a hunt, so it's not like I have anything better to do. I'll gladly help you. Although … I don't know what kind of villain lives here-”

One of his brothers piped up: “Èrgē¹, have you forgot? Scattered Rock Mountain and Emerald Waves Lagoon are the home of the All-Saintly Dragon King!”

Èrláng chuckled sheepishly: “I … actually might have forgot about that. Wait …” His eyes narrowed. “The All-Saintly Dragon King has never caused trouble before.”

Wùkōng arched an eyebrow. “He has now, but it's mostly that son-in-law of his …”

Another brief explanation later, Èrláng said: “Well, if you already killed the patriarch, it's wiser to take down the rest of them now, while they're unprepared.”

“Can't it wait until tomorrow?”, said Bājiè all of the sudden. “It's getting late and we're all tired-”

“Speak for yourself, you lazy hog!”, Liù'ěr Míhóu threw in. “Unlike you we're not a bunch of slobs! Yeah! I'm also here!”, he jibed, as everyone turned to stare at him. “Nice of you all to finally notice me!”

Wùkōng paid close attention to Èrláng's reaction. He seemed … curious?

“I don't recall Bodhisattva Guān Yīn mentioning a second monkey demon being one of the Tang monk's disciples?”, he remarked.

“I only joined about nine months ago. Hello to you too, Zhēnjūn². I'm the Six-Eared Macaque, my religious name is Sūn Wùhuàn, I'm about 1100 years old and I'm the youngest of the Tang Monk's disciples”, the white monkey introduced himself.

The Little Sage opened his Heavenly Eye, only for all three eyes to dart back and forth between the Six-Eared Macaque and the Monkey King.

“Your auras are similar”, he observed. “I always thought the Great Sage was unique.”

Wùkōng's right eye twitched. What the fuck did that three-eyed arsehole mean, he wasn't unique?!

Liù'ěr Míhóu explained: “He is unique. It's just that we're two of a kind. There's another two of us, but they live far, far away. And for your information, they prefer to stay under the radar, so please don't look for them.”

“As long as they don't make trouble, sure. But do tell me … what in all three realms is a radar?”, Èrláng asked.

Liù'ěr Míhóu looked a bit sheepish. “Uhhh, something that won't be invented for another 1300 years, so don't think about it too much.”

If everyone hadn't looked at him with WTF-faces before, they were now.

Good to know that Wùkōng wasn't the only one confused by the other macaque's anachronistic references.

Bājiè on the other hand looked completely indifferent, like he had simply resigned himself to not thinking too hard about the weird shit that sometimes came out of Liù'ěr Míhóu's mouth.

Finally Èrláng shrugged. “Oh well. Either way, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss.”

“I'm a male”, corrected the Macaque. “I may look and sound female, but … uhm … hey. Are you okay?”

The Little Sage had grown even more pallid and was covering his mouth with his hands. His black eyes were wide and … wait, was that a tear?! Holy shit, was he-?!

Then, without a warning, he grabbed Liù'ěr Míhóu, embraced him tightly and proceeded to sob into the shocked macaque's shoulder.

What?!

What the actual-?!

Okay, now Wùkōng's head was reeling!

What in all eighteen hells was this, he couldn't even-

His gaze met that of Bājiè, who seemed to have figured something out that he hadn't. And wasn't that a novelty! Could Bājiè have figured out, why Èrláng was getting so emotional after Six-Ears had revealed his true sex? Seriously, why-

Oh.

Oh.

Ohhh!

“Finally figured it out?”, Bājiè whispered.

“How did you know?”, Wùkōng whispered back.

“I'll explain later”, murmured the boar demon, before clearing his throat and saying aloud: “Ahem, as beautiful and heartwarming as this is, we still have a draconic issue at hand.”

Èrláng coughed, let go of his stunned captive and dried his eyes.

“Of course, of course”, he muttered. “My apologies.”

He can apologise for that, but not for what he did to my babies …

“And just to be clear: this is staying between us. Tell anyone what happened and you can say goodbye to your tongues.”

The three monks shrugged; it wasn't like anyone would believe them anyway.

Bājiè spoke up again: “So, what about putting the attack off until tomorrow-”

“An army doesn't wait, until the timing is convenient for their opponent”, Èrláng cut him off and suddenly he was the warrior god from then again. “Right now they're unprepared for battle. This is the best opportunity to wipe them out completely.”

“But-”

“Second Brother, they won't be that much better prepared tomorrow either”, one of Èrláng's sworn brothers suddenly spoke up. “That villain and his family live here, so they're not going to run away anytime soon. Why don't we all relax for the rest of the evening and destroy them tomorrow, when we're fresh and well-rested?”

“Lăo Kāng.”

“Lăo Yáng. Aren't the Great Sage and his fellow brothers our guests now? What speaks against having fun tonight? We can entertain them and we have enough food and drink for everyone! And is these three entering the path of virtue not a good reason to celebrate? Besides, we can also discuss details of a battle strategy, while we're at it and tomorrow we'll be as prepared as can be!”

For a brief moment, Èrláng's expression remained neutral. Then he seemed to resign himself to being outvoted by his own sworn brothers and sighed: “You know what, you're right. Let's make camp here for the night, our opponents really won't run away.”

Wùkōng too had to accept the fact, that today nothing would get done anymore.

“But we do have dietary inhibitions”, he informed the seven, just to be sure.

“Don't worry, we have fruits and the wine is dietary”, the Little Sage assured him.

Wùkōng was about to question that, when another of the Seven Sages spoke up:

“And the wine is dietary, because someone-”, he side-eyed Èrláng with a scowl, “-doesn't fucking stop, once he starts drinking!”

Èrláng snapped back: “Okay, first off: language. Secondly: tell the world, Yáo! Thirdly: since you apparently have enough leisure to nag, you might as well start setting up our tents! And don't you forget to take your evening medication again, or so help me!”

Brother Yáo made an offensive gesture at him and stomped off to fetch their camping equipment, followed by four of his brothers.

The sixth one stayed back with a fuming Èrláng and the three Buddhist monks, who were now exchanging awkward glances.

The sixth Sage cleared his throat and addressed Wùkōng: “Great Sage. Gentlemen. Do you mind, if I have a private word with my Elder Brother for a moment?”

“Of course not.”

The other man smiled politely, before taking Èrláng to the side with a more stern expression.

I wonder what they're talking about.

Suddenly Liù'ěr Míhóu snorted: “Heh! He's getting chewed out by Zhāng Bóshi for snapping at Yáo Gōnglín like that.”

“What was that for anyway?! How can anyone treat their sworn brothers like that?!”, Wùkōng questioned.

Liù'ěr Míhóu shrugged: “Eh, don't get too hung up about it. Alcoholics always get stroppy and defensive, if they're called out in public. Speaking from experience.”

“As a call-out guy or as an alcoholic?”

“Both.”

“Okay. But still!”

“Hey, easy does it. Celestials and humans don't do sworn siblinghood the way we do. To us, it's either an alliance or a form of marriage. They go all out on the sibling part. Shit talking, banter, the whole works.”

“That's true”, confirmed Bājiè.

“Besides, Èrláng seemed to be pretty concerned about Yáo forgetting his medicine for the evening – kinda concerning, that he needs to be reminded of that, but okay-”

“What kind of medicine?”, asked the Monkey King curiously.

“Oh, Yáo Gōnglín has a congenital heart disease, that even immortality couldn't fix, so Laozi gives him magic pills to keep his heart from blowing up. And now Èrláng keeps babying him about it.”

“Oh … that kinda blows. I guess the snapping makes sense in that context.”

“Yeah. Oh, there they come!”

Indeed Zhāng Bóshi returned with a slightly humbled Èrláng Shén on his heels.

Hilarious. And satisfying.

That prick deserved a good scolding at least. If only Wùkōng had the words to give that three-eyed bastard Dìyù for what he had done. But he had no words. Because how did you reproach a mass murderer without sounding like a total hypocrite?

Liù'ěr Míhóu meanwhile clapped his two hands at the god and his sworn brother and laughed: “There you are! I heard everything! It was top nodge entertainment! What a funny and heartwarming dialogue! I felt like listening to a theatre performance!”

Okay, damn.

Zhāng Bóshi frowned: “You need to stop.”

Èrláng Shén scowled: “Is there anything you can't hear?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu grinned: “Only the thoughts in your head – provided they remain unspoken, of course. Thoughts are the only thing, that makes no noise. Everything else, however … you get the idea.”

“Can you tell, when someone lies too?”

“Obviously. Though what I hear depends on the person. Some people can't lie credibly to save their lives, whereas others do it so well, that even I can just barely tell the difference. The latter are usually psychopaths.”

Now Èrláng looked less angry and more confused. “What is a psychopath?”

“Someone with a mental disorder that leaves them unable to feel empathy, guilt and most emotions”, the white monkey explained. “The word won't be invented for another 1300 years, but-”

“You can hear the future.”

“And the past and present. Only the Buddha knows more than I do.”

“That's a bold claim to make.”

“And a fact”, Liù'ěr Míhóu stated. Then his face turned flat. “But if you think I'm gonna tell you what'll happen in your future, forget it.”

Wùkōng confirmed: “Yeah, fat chance. Flattery, threats, torture – nothing works. The only exception is when he warns us from dickheads, who want to harm our master – and that's only because he likes us. But other than that? The most you can expect is prophecies so cryptic they only make sense in hindsight.”

“And that's not gonna change ever”, the Six-Eared Macaque said coolly.

Èrláng Shén didn't seem disappointed at all. Just all the more intrigued. “What do you mean by prophecies that only make sense in hindsight?”

The monkey shrugged: “Well, since that's in the past I can tell you an example. About 600 years ago, a powerful demon king heard about my near-omniscience and had me brought before him. He wanted to find out what would happen, if he invaded one of the neighbouring territories. And because I didn't like the way he was looking at me, I told him this: if you cross the stream, you will destroy a great empire.”

“So he did and the empire he destroyed was his own”, Èrláng said flatly.

The white monkey snickered: “Obviously!”³

“That sounds like a pretty clear prophecy though. Didn't it occur to him, that he would lose?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu shook his head. “No. I phrased it like that, knowing full well that he would interpret that as him conquering another territory. They always do. Hubris is one hell of a poison.”

Now Wùkōng tilted his head: “Hubris? What's that?”

The Macaque explained: “It's the excessive arrogance, that drives some people to challenge entities far beyond their league, or even put themselves above them. For example, it was hubristic, when you accepted the Buddha's wager.”

Wùkōng narrowed his eyes. “Is that so? Well, I'll tell you what's also hubristic: stealing my identity and my kingdom and thinking you can get away with it!”

The white monkey raised his hands. “Alright, touché-”

“You what???”

Suddenly Èrláng leapt up, his face distorted with rage to the point, where his eyes were glowing red.

Uh-oh.

The Little Sage strode around the fire and got all into the Macaque's face.

“You dared to try and take the place of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven?! You?! Don't make me laugh! What ever made you believe, that you could compare to him! A face-stealer, who abuses his own abilities for deception! It doesn't matter that you're of the same kind as him, you're not like him! You never will be like him! You will never be on his level!”

The Monkey King's mouth was hanging slack.

Was that guy seriously defending him, or was he seeing things?

But Bājiè looked just as flabbergasted, so he wasn't hallucinating (after all, they couldn't have the same hallucination, right?).

And Èrláng was just getting started: “You cannot take his place, because no one can! All that glory and power need to be earned through hard work and sacrifice and you haven't earned them! You're not even close to having his calibre! If he's a ten course meal, you're a bloody appetiser! Work towards your own damn reputation! The only person, who has ever given me a real challenge, who has given me a battle worthy of being called such, and you have the audacity to try and steal his credit, are you kidding me, how freaking dare you …”

I'm starting to feel like I'm in the wrong novel here.

Sūn Wùkōng felt his patience dwindling, until he noticed, that the Six-Eared Macaque was tapping the gourd in his hand with a single finger in a systematic pattern.

Oh.

He was using that weird tapping code he had taught Wùkōng and the other pilgrims months before.

Zhū Bājiè clearly noticed it too.

In fact, he deciphered what their youngest brother was tapping, before the Monkey King did (sometimes he did have his smart moments), and chortled – which he quickly disguised as a pig grunt, when Èrláng glared viciously at him.

Suddenly a voice from the background called out and the still visibly irate three-eyed god excused himself to go and help his brothers set up a feast for them all.

“What was that you said?”, whispered Wùkōng to his fellow macaque.

Liù'ěr Míhóu smirked, tapped it again and this time the other monkey was able to follow: “Totally stealing that 'ten course meal vs appetiser' insult. Don't tell him.”

Wùkōng snickered, his mood improving a little.

.

“So, how did you know, that his temperament is like that of our brother?”, asked the Monkey King Bājiè later, as everyone sat around the fire, eating a dinner cooked by Èrláng himself.

Bājiè shrugged: “Eh, I noticed a few things and they got me thinking, so in order to have certainty, I just went and asked straight up him.”

“… You're shitting me.”

“No, he did do that”, confirmed Èrláng. “Went up to me and asked me, if my temperament was 'extravagant', as he put it, like he wasn't risking being killed by me on the spot. As you can see, he's still here, though I did threaten to kill him, should he ever tell anyone.”

Bājiè nodded. “Yup. Pointed his three-tipped spear at my throat and everything.”

Wùkōng's eyes narrowed: “Wait, is that what you meant earlier, when you said he hates you? Is it because of that?”

The boar demon grimaced. “No, it's not that. It's … uh … well …”

Èrláng sneered: “Oh, what's wrong? Don't have the spine to explain? Or is it because technically they already know, but also don't?”

What.

“I'll give you a hint”, said the three-eyed god and pointed heavenwards. Towards the moon.

Wùkōng blinked. “Cháng'é?”

“She's my best friend. And he tried to rape her.” Èrláng's face and voice morphed into something so monstrous, that the Monkey King felt a shudder run down his spine. “I would have slaughtered him on the spot, if Cháng'é wasn't too tender-hearted to stand such a sight. It's only because of her and Guān Yīn, that this pig got to live.”

Wow.

The Monkey King side-eyed Bājiè. “You know, Third Brother, I keep questioning your self preservation instinct and now I'm questioning it even harder.”

“Same”, said Liù'ěr Míhóu.

“Hey! How was I supposed to know that the most beautiful goddess in Heaven is besties with the most terrifying god in Heaven?!”

“You should have considered, that she has powerful friends, before you harassed her! But it doesn't matter! You shouldn't have touched her regardless!”, snarled Èrláng.

Zhū Bājiè muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “I couldn't think shit, I was drunk.”

“You don't think shit, when you're sober either!”, retorted Liù'ěr Míhóu.

“Also, what kind of pathetic excuse is that!”, snapped Èrláng. “'I was too drunk to think'! Pah! You weren't too drunk to bust into her palace and try to force yourself on her! What would the world come to, if everyone could excuse their misdeeds like this! Should I now try to defend my own actions, by saying 'I was just following orders'?! It's a rubbish excuse and anyone with half a brain can see that!”

Thus reminded of his slain babies, Sūn Wùkōng stood up.

Grimly he spoke: “I'm glad to hear you see it that way. Because those were my dear grandchildren you wiped out and for that I hate you. I regret becoming your sworn brother, because now I can't take it back and I'll spend the rest of my eternal life worrying, that you will hurt them again. My master keeps talking about mercy and forgiveness and who knows! Maybe I'll get to the point, where, in a thousand years or so, I will find it in my heart to forgive you! But today is not the day, nor will it be tomorrow or any time in the foreseeable future.”

The Little Sage held his gaze and nodded. “Good to know. I wasn't going to ask for your forgiveness in the first place, but I understand and accept your decision.”

Good.

But that sliver of satisfaction instantly went out the window, when Wùkōng noticed Liù'ěr Míhóu wiggling his ears and looking at Èrláng with a strange gaze.

Pity.

The Six-Eared Macaque was pitying the three-eyed god.

What ever he had heard in the other's past and future had caused him to actually feel bad for him.

The Monkey King made note to confront the Macaque about that later.

And then Zhū Bājiè asked: “Okay, but seriously, Eldest Brother, how did you become sworn brothers with these people?”

Èrláng Shén blushed for some reason and Wùkōng was embarrassed to feel his own face heat up.

“During our first fight, actually. It was a heat of the moment kind of thing”, Èrláng admitted awkwardly.

“Yeah”, Wùkōng confirmed, equally awkward. “We were duking it out and pulling no punches and he was like 'hey, you're pretty strong, fighting you is fun' and I was like 'thanks, you're pretty strong too and I like it', and then he was like 'let's be sworn brothers' and I was like 'fuck yeah!', and that's how it happened.”

“While we were still fighting”, added Èrláng and the Monkey King nodded.

In retrospect, it had been absolutely priceless. If not for all that had happened since then, maybe Wùkōng would still be able to laugh about it.

Bājiè meanwhile was gawking at the both of them, like they were complete lunatics, which was probably exactly what he thought.

But he didn't say it out loud.

Which, in light of the fact that Èrláng Shén's aura grew more murderous every time the pig demon opened his mouth, was definitely wiser.

Loath as the Monkey King was to admit it, he understood the three-eyed Celestial's anger in this case. If someone had tried to rape one of his friends, Wùkōng would've felt the same way. So while the monkey was cranky that someone was threatening his brother with murder, Bājiè had brought this one on himself, so Wùkōng supposed he could let his nemesis have this one.

Plus, Èrláng's rage was … really fucking beautiful. This flawless face twisted into a bloodthirsty grimace; the deceptively pristine hands, that were clearly itching to wrap themselves around their enemy's head to crush it like a grape; the bloodthirsty and slightly crazed look in his eyes; the suffocatingly heavy aura, intensified by his just barely contained wrath … this was art. A beautiful, twisted, living piece of art. Wùkōng wished he could ban it on paper. Sadly, he was a crappy painter, so putting it into poems would have to do. Sūn Wùkōng had met a lot of pretty people, but none had ever stirred anything inside him. Except for this monkey murdering, arsonist, regrettably beautiful and very paintable bastard.

The Monkey King didn't like what it was doing to him. Sure, he himself was murderous and violent, but never had he been as fascinated by other people, as when he saw the unadulterated anger of the three-eyed god. He had felt it too, when they had fought 560 years ago. A thrill pulsating in his veins and tingling in his marrow. A level of excitement never experienced before or since. Not even with the Six-Eared Macaque.

No one could arouse this feeling but Èrláng Shén.

Damn that hypnotic arsehole!

Frustrated, Wùkōng decided to focus on his food and put a spoonful of soup into his mouth. Only to tear up and wheeze, when his mouth started to burn.

Èrláng tilted his head. “Great Sage, are you okay?”

“Hot! Hot! Hot! Like molten copper!”, cried Wùkōng.

Someone handed him a gourd. It turned out to be filled with milk (who was carrying a gourd full of milk?) and he emptied it greedily.

As he finally recovered from the way too spicy food thanks to the milky remedy, he noted that the men around him were trying to hold back their smiles and giggles.

He huffed: “What? Not everyone likes it spicy!”

Cue the collective laughter.

Liù'ěr Míhóu was the first to stop snickering, and held out his hand. “Alright, now you're feeling better, so give me back my gourd.”

The Monkey King complied, though he did ask, why the Six-Eared Macaque was carrying a gourd full of milk.

The white monkey shrugged. “I like milk. It's yummy and a good way to sate you for a while, if you're not lactose intolerant or allergic, which I'm not.”

“What do those words mean?”, asked Bājiè.

So the Six-Eared Macque explained it to him and the others.

“The causes for those averse reactions will be discovered 1300 years from now”, he said. “But it's a biological condition, so there's no harm in telling you people about it. Might actually help some of you, if you eat something and find yourself sick without poison. And I happen to know that one of you is lactose intolerant!”, he added pointedly, looking over the Sages of Plum Mountain.

“You're not intending to reveal each and every one of our weaknesses to your companions, are you? Because threatening to reveal the deepest, darkest secrets of powerful gods is a very dangerous game to play”, warned Èrláng.

The macaque smiled with creepy serenity: “I only expose people, who force my hand – or rather, my ears. For now I simply want you all know, that I have all this knowledge and I'm not afraid to use it against you, if you give me no other choice. But I feel bad for you, Little Sage, so your dirty secrets are safe with me!”

Èrláng's face and aura grew even darker than before, as he told the six-eared monkey: “You shouldn't flaunt your knowledge so arrogantly. People who know too much tend to get silenced by those they know too much about.”

Liù'ěr Míhóu laughed: “Oh, certainly! But you won't harm me! I heard it in your future! Besides, other than you only a handful of gods actually stand a chance against me.”

“Just like very few stand a chance against me!”, Sūn Wùkōng felt the need to brag.

The white macaque smirked: “And yet you didn't beat me!”

The Monkey King gasped, offended: “Bitch, you didn't beat me either! And we duked it out in all three realms!”

“You're the bitch!”

“No, you!”

“No, you!”

Eventually Bājiè put an end to their bickering, by grabbing both monkeys' heads and slamming them together. “You're not little kids. Cut it out.”

“Uuugh, you shouldn't have done that!”, groaned the Six-Eared Macaque and rubbed his head. “I'm not made of stone, dammit!”

The pig demon gawked at him. “What! But you're both Spiritual Primates! If you're not made of stone like Eldest Brother, then what are you made of?!”

“Water, ice and vapour”, answered the other immediately.

“How does that work?”

“The same way Sūn Wùkōng being a stone monkey works. I hatched from an ice crystal made from the frost of a mountain, the gale of a blizzard and the vapour and water of a hot spring the wind pushed my egg into. Eventually the hot water made my icy egg crack and I came out. Any more questions?”

“… Nah, I'm good.”

“I have one”, said the three-eyed prick, “Do you have powers that the Great Sage doesn't have and some where the opposite is the case?”

“Oh, sure”, Liù'ěr Míhóu replied. “For example, I don't have his eyes of truth, nor can I create hair clones. He on the other hand doesn't have my plenary hearing, nor does he wield the Samadhi Water.”

“That exists?”, asked one of Èrláng Shén's sworn brothers.

Liù'ěr Míhóu arched an eyebrow. “Of course it does. And I can control it. It's the only type of water that can effectively extinguish the True Samadhi Fire. It also has a few other niffty powers, just like the Samadhi Fire does. There is also the Samadhi Wind, which is wielded by the Yellow Marten currently under custody of the Western Heaven.”

“Good riddance!”, Wùkōng grumbled.

“I know right, that guy fucking sucks! Anyway, those are the three extant Samadhi Elements. There used to be a Samadhi Earth, Metal and Wood too, but their last wielders died millennia ago and their skills have been lost to time. Kinda blows, that my hearing isn't enough to recreate that knowledge, but eh. Now there's nothing that can be done about it. At least we are still here to pass our knowledge on. Isn't that right, Èrláng Shén?”

Wùkōng's eyes widened.

Suddenly a lot of things made sense.

Why the fire had been as destructive as it had been, despite Flowerfruit Mountain's magic. Why so many of his monkeys had died, despite their names being erased from the Book of the Dead. Why he had only been able to restore the beauty of his island via magic.

Wùkōng couldn't help but let out a wail over his dead grandchildren.

He didn't care about the glances of discomfort thrown his way by the others as a result. He would grieve for his subjects, whenever he damn pleased, and if anyone had a problem with that, they could kiss his arse.

.

---

.

1) Èrgē: Second Brother 2) Zhēnjūn: True Monarch 3) according to a Greek legend, King Croesus of Lydia got a similar prophecy from the Delphic Oracle and became his self-fulfilling prophecy, when he was defeated by Persian Great King Cyros the Great.

[mybelovedstarlings]

On the recent S-Classes chapter;

I find it really interesting that the manhwa artists skipped Riette's attempt at sexually assaulting Yoojin.

It's not necessarily surprising, considering that there were probably some guidelines the artists had to follow, they probably didn't want to mess up their target audience and all.

And the novel's narrative played it off too, making it seem like a lighthearted game when it clearly WASN'T.

But it shaped my view of Riette's character and the way she was written for the rest of the series. Even hundreds of chapters later, when she seemed to be completely forgiven by everyone in the cast, I still remembered what she'd tried to do to Yoojin.

She didn't succeed, fortunately, but it was still there. It really solidified that Riette was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted.

Her abuse of Noah, trying to sa Yoojin, all of that was AWFUL. It's just very frustrating to me that the manhwa (and narrative in general) played it off so lightly.

So what if Riette spent jail time? She hurt people.

And it's completely nonexistent in the manhwa, which changes a lot of things for her character and how people view her.

[so-long-soldier28]

i hate being a low empathy autistic because i never have the correct response for emotional situations. i can't feel the pain that others feel, and i can't "put myself in their shoes" to understand. and it's not that i don't understand sadness, because i do - i understand it greatly, i just struggle with the empathetic part of it. so when i'm approached with others' emotions and they expect me to sympathize with them, i look like a sociopath because i can't, and i can't fake it either. but then i don't show them the correct response - the one they're looking for; the empathy that they seek - and then they get frustrated with me, and it hurts, because i don't want to hurt them just because i don't understand them. it would be easier, sometimes i think, to be a sociopath.

[fruitisthenewvegitable]

Cw: mention of sexual assault (not stuff thats actually happened, but just me worrying about it), mention of homophobia & transphobia, mention of bullying. I also get very passionate and intense during this long rant. (None of this goes into too much detail but it’s still worth noting. If I’ve missed anything please tell me and I’ll add it).

A couple of random-ish interconnected thoughts about going back to school as an openly queer girl.

Y’know what sucks? I’m worried about going back to school soon.

While I have never been sexually assaulted, I have heard enough stories from people I know irl or from random women online, that I’ve started debating packing an extra bra in my bag for school just in case a boy cuts my bra strap.

The fact that I even have this thought in the first place feels so fucking icky to me. The fact that I have to worry.

And I’m actually not that worried about it! Other than my elective classes, I’m going into all honors classes, and one of the requirements for getting into honors classes is being well-behaved. So I know that the peers I’m going to be interacting with the most (that aren’t my friends) are going to be at least a little well behaved.

But. There’s still this worry. That I will be assaulted in a place that is meant to be safe.

And it’s not just bra-cutting I’m worried about.

I’m very openly queer and I’ve already experienced a lot of homophobia from several of my classmates the last couple of years I’ve been in public school (because covid is a bitch).

And I’m lucky! A lot of my friends a trans, very openly so, and they get misgendered a LOT, even by family. But I’ve got a very open and supportive family, several of which are queer themselves! But that doesn’t mean that I still haven’t experienced homophobia in an environment that’s meant to educate.

I’m going to school to learn fucking math problems, not to get told to kill myself because I had my lesbian flag out in the lunch room.

I’m going to school to learn historical events, not to have to worry if a boy will try and cut my bra strap in front of the entire class.

I’m going to school to learn how to write an essay, not to have to worry if a kid will attack or belittle me because I like girls. Because I am a girl. Because I act a bit differently than them. Because I use She/They pronouns. Because. Because. Because. Because.

I’m nervous to go back to school because I know the mindset of ‘boys will be boys’ is so normalized. Because I don’t actively fear men and boys right now, but I might by the time I graduate. Because I love school and I love my friends and I love my teachers.

But when I was in 7th grade a boy told me to kill myself because I had a pride flag out. And to my knowledge all that happened was he was told off and had to ‘apologize’ to me.

The more I think about how my peers might treat me when I go back to school I just get Kris nervous and more angry thinking back on the things that I’ve already experienced.

Our society has to change.

Because I can’t go on living my life being wary of everyone around me because they might want to see me dead for something I can’t control.

And because I don’t want my identity to be questioned by my peers and politicians because ‘are you sure you just haven’t met the right boy yet?’.

I’m angry and nervous and the fact that I have to worry about packing an extra bra in my school bag will always be a testament to the fact that society (and the school system) has failed everyone. Especially young afab’s.

[the-blue-sandglass]

You know folks-

Condemning Ben's behaviour, particularly towards Charlie, and not seeing his personal issues as an excuse to literally ab//e and attempt s/a on his partner while ALSO wanting him to get better as a person and accept himself (including his sexuality) in a healthy way aren't mutually exclusive, and probably shouldn't be treated as mutually exclusive-

In the same vein-

You can fully hope that Ben was trying to be sincere and that he'll be a better person one day while ALSO acknowledging that Charlie does not owe him anything, is not obligated to forgive him and is not responsible for his absolution-

[hazbinbossbrainrot]

Stollitz is fluffed up sexual abuse and romanticized r@pe, get a better ship and show :/

Dude you wanna talk about sexual abuse? Stolitz comes nowhere near as close as to Angel & Valentino’s relationship. Check your facts next time

[hurryupmerlin]

My beloved Mal belongs to @riinoaheartilly

_______________

"How many sex partners did you have?" Mal asks while his hand draws lazy circles on Ami's bare shoulder.

It's a good time to ask things that would otherwise never be addressed. Heads still woozy with happiness and systems flooded with cuddle hormones so soon after their interlude makes for loose tongues.

"You tell first."

"When I was younger, a couple guys in the showers,” Mal muses. “Nothing serious; we had no idea what we were doing. After the war started I had a guy I met up with every now and then. Hated his guts but he knew how to get the job done."

"How could you sleep with someone you hated?"

Mal shrugs nonchalantly.

"We weren't allowed to stab each other. Had to find a way to resolve our conflicts differently."

"But you liked it?"

"Admittedly." He smirks. "What about you, what's your body count?"

Looking up at the ceiling, Ami answers after a few seconds of reflection: "Sex partners... Just you."

Mal's hand stops its monotonous circular movement and withdraws. He exhales audibly through his nose. For a moment he considers ignoring the statement and moving over to the next topic, but then he speaks out loud what he had been thinking way too often since he met Ami:

"Why do you always lie to me?"

He's used to Ami avoiding the truth, but he can't stop the disappointment from dripping from his every syllable.

In Ami's ears, the accusation rings even worse. He avoids Mal's gaze.

"I'm not lying," he asserts.

But maybe he should've lied. Should've said any number worthy of a nod and a chuckle. Should've made something up about a girl back home or another slave in the camp. Should've let Mal think that he had learned taking dick like everyone else did and that he'd just always been blessed with so little gag reflex, no story behind that.

A tight knot forms in his stomach. He doesn't want to talk about it, but he doesn't want to lie to Mal either. Now he regrets that he didn't stop the question in the first place. He wanted to know more about Mal and that lured him in. Perhaps Mal would have been ready for the second round already, that certainly would've distracted him enough from digging any deeper. Anyway, it's too late now.

Mal just shakes his head.

"Thought we were over hiding our pasts from each other. My mistake."

"Mal...," Ami tries again, struggling for words.

"Never mind," Mal says dismissively and straightens up. The worst thing about it, Ami figures, is that he doesn't even seem angry. Just done.

Mal swings his legs over the edge of the bed, about to leave and Ami sits up quickly, rocks forward and presses his face against Mal's back, wrapping his arms around his lover's hips.

Mal stills and hangs his head.

"I'm sorry," Ami mumbles against Mal's warm skin. "It's– I– I don't want to talk about... It's hard for me to talk about some things."

"That's okay." A cybernetic hand tenderly comes to rest over Ami's. "Don't worry, I still love you."

Being able to hide behind Mal without having to look him in the eye helps.

"I know what you think." Ami can't help the tremor in his voice. What he says next feels like chewing glass. "But lying on your back crying, while someone forces themself in... that isn't sex. Sucking a dick because you're so hungry you already fainted twice that day and desperately want to earn a treat isn't sex."

His voice breaks.

"But Mal, I love you. When I'm sleeping with you it's because I want you. Your kisses make me hard, and I can't get enough of your hands. And the way you say my name... makes it sound like an endearment instead of an insult."

He had hoped he could finish his monologue with a bit of dignity, but no. The tears find their way out and Ami's words crumble into sobs under the strain. The way he's crying now, he's too distraught to filter what comes next as he rambles on:

"And... sometimes you make me laugh while we're at it, how insane is that? I never even knew that was possible. Gosh, when– when you touch me, it feels so right. In my book, that is sex. And I only had sex with you, Mal. No one else."

Mal doesn't move or speak for a whole agonizing minute, just squeezes the hand under his.

He finds it difficult to unpack and sort everything that Ami has served him. The meaning of what he has just learned creeps into him like smoke into lungs. It constricts his throat, sharp-edged and indigestible.

Eventually he says a quiet "I'm sorry."

A multitude of grief and shame hangs in the air, heavy and dark. After all of Ami's words, he feels as if he's supposed to say more, balance it out, and do some healing. But words fail him.

"Only you," Ami says weakly, like a mantra, as his lips graze over the ridges of Mal's spine.

Mal's reply is quiet and soft: "Only you."

[autismtana]

more brittany meta (season 5 return, burnout, and impostor syndrome)

To add on to my previous post about Brittany in seasons 3-4, it's very possible that when she returns to McKinley for the glee club reunion in season 5, she's experiencing impostor syndrome.

There's internalised pressure to live up to the new expectation that she's a genius and is thriving in her current environment. It's also an experience that isn't unique to just Brittany; Rachel and Mercedes are also trying to prove that they've 'made it' and are having a meaningless competition to see who is the biggest success story of their graduating class. The two of them were 'big fish in a small pond' in high school, and are reverting back to that status because often adults when they return to their childhood home/environment tend to fall into old patterns.

Brittany's high school years weren't great. She spent pretty much her entire high school life being constantly belittled by peers and teachers (including so-called Good GuyTM Mr Schue) for not conforming to traditional academic standards, she had to deal with Sue, who often treated her like crap, she and Santana had to deal with prejudiced double-standards, and there is also canon evidence that she was sexually assaulted at a cheerleading camp. On top of that, she was held back, which was not a positive experience for her; statistically, holding students back in school creates more challenges than solutions.

In Brittany's case, she was away from her friends, she broke up with Santana, and she still wasn't really getting any academic support. And yet MIT believes in her and tells her she's a mathematical genius, which is an amazing opportunity but she takes it on, not necessarily because it's what she wants, but because she thinks it will be taken away from her if she doesn't get onto it fast enough.

It's also important to mention that while Brittany was travelling to and from MIT to meet with them, there were a lot of characters expressing disbelief about what she was doing. Brittany encountered a lot of what I would consider ableism from other characters (Finn, Artie, Rachel, Will). Brittany has shown to lack confidence in her abilities and her own intelligence, and internalise what other people say about her. So just like Mercedes and Rachel, when she returns, maybe there's this sense of "I need to double down on how smart I am so that these people who have belittled me won't actually think I'm a joke". It's also very telling that during Fondue for Two, she's nice to Mercedes, who's always been a good friend and treated her with kindness ("Brittany is my Troubletones homegirl", "I like Brittany") but she roasts Rachel, who's generally been condescending to her.

It's also noteworthy that Santana, in her conversations with Brittany in 100, doesn't ever belittle Brittany's intelligence, and she continually expresses her belief that Brittany is a genius. Her concern for Brittany and statement that "this isn't you" isn't born out of lack of faith in Brittany, but because Brittany appears to be genuinely miserable and creatively unfulfilled.

Also, since we're in April and April is Autism Acceptance Month, I should probably acknowledge that I'm 100% an autistic!Brittany truther. I think Brittany's demeanour in this episode is an interesting example of autistic burnout. There is real depth to Brittany S Pierce beyond surface-level that often goes unacknowledged.

[mythologyfolklore]

Liù'ěr Míhóu joins the jttw gang, or: How to redeem an all-hearing celestial monkey with a superiority complex and a seriously bad attitude

(A/N: tw: cannibalism, assault, identity theft, implied SA)

Chapter Twenty-Five: The confession of the Sixth Ear

.

Wùkōng sighed, wished his master a good recovery and returned to the pagoda.

“We really need to find a healer”, he said to his youngest brother. “His back is getting worse by the month. At this point, Master will become paralysed, just like Bājiè said.”

“Yeah”, said Liù'ěr Míhóu and added: “I didn't mean to give him permanent spinal damage back then. I just wanted to hit him hard enough to knock him out.”

“Hm. Good to know. Speaking of which, there's something that's been bugging me the whole time (you know, apart from the obvious stuff). You could have killed him with ease back then. Why didn't you?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu's expression tightened. He started swaying his head from side to side, as he seemed to debate with himself, whether he should answer that question or not.

To Wùkōng's relief, he chose to do so.

“I'm not gonna lie, that was my original plan: kill him and the others, get rid of the evidence and then steal all your stuff, because I wanted it. But … I heard something in the future. Several potential futures, actually – did you know, that the future is fluid and determined by our choices? – and one of them … I liked it. That's why I didn't kill Xuánzàng. Because I knew if I killed him, that future wouldn't come true.”

Wùkōng tilted his head.

He thought he understood, what the other Spiritual Monkey was saying, but just to be sure …

“Was it this one?”, he asked.

“…”

“Liù'ěr Míhóu-”

“I don't speak of the future. To anyone. The future's supposed to be-”

“It's not the future, if it's happening right now”, the Monkey King pointed out.

“…”

“Sūn Wùhuàn.”

Liù'ěr Míhóu stared at him. “You've never used my Dharma name before.”

“Well, it got your attention, didn't it? Come on. You just have to say yes or no. I guess the answer is yes, but guessing isn't knowing.”

The white monkey lowered his head and his six ears were laying flat.

He's afraid, Wùkōng realised.

“I won't judge. And I won't tell anyone”, he promised.

“… Yes. Yes, it was.”

“So you heard us being kind to you.”

“Yes.” A shaky smile. “I … I heard you guys accept me for what I am. I heard you be angry at my misdeeds without blaming me for things that were beyond my control. I heard promises of support and safety. I heard myself laugh with you. And … I wasn't sure, if it really was a possible future, or just a wishful dream. But I wanted it. Oh, I wanted it so badly!”

Wùkōng frowned: “But then, why did you pull all that crap? Why did you steal my face, my mountain, my grandchildren? Why did you eat one of them? Why did you harm Master at all? If the Buddha hadn't been there to stop me, I would have beaten you to death for what you did! You know that, right?”

Liù'ěr Míhóu sighed: “Of course I do. Well, it's true, I wanted all that. But at that time I wanted your glory even more. Your fame, your greatness, all the good things you have. I heard how Heaven feared you, how your subjects adored you, how powerful demons hurried to make alliances with you to either protect themselves or benefit from your sheer power – and it made my blood boil, because you were living the high life, while I knew nothing but struggle. I'm an envious creature, Sūn Wùkōng. As for why I ate one of them … well, the fresh body was there and I'd hardly eaten in weeks, so I wasn't gonna let the meat go to waste.”

The Monkey King shot him an unimpressed look. “I know I promised I wouldn't judge, but … wow. Just wow. Well, I sure hope that meal satisfied you, because that'll have been the last time ever that you ate flesh. Also, you will apologise to my babies.”

“That's fair.”

“And why did you hurt our master?”

The white monkey arched an eyebrow. “Have you forgot? He insulted me, when I offered him a cup of water! I don't care, if he thought I was you, I will not be offended like that!”

Oh yeah. Those words …

Liù'ěr Míhóu finished: “And that's when I decided 'fuck it' and hit him on the back. I still can't believe that action alone didn't blow my cover! Like damn! They just assumed that was totally something you would do! Kinda depressing, really. One would think, after eight years they'd know you better than that.”

Sūn Wùkōng felt a little bitter, knowing the Six-Eared Macaque was right.

Would his master and brothers ever stop thinking the worst of him?

The other monkey continued: “But … in retrospect I'm glad my plan failed. Not just because that would've been my death, but … now I have something better. For the first time in my life, I actually feel … okay. You have no idea, how good that feels. To finally be respected and get to interact with someone, who'd never … hurt me like countless others did.”

To Wùkōng's dismay, a single tear ran down Liù'ěr Míhóu's cheek.

The Monkey King let go of his irritation, threw away his broom and pulled the taller monkey into a hug.

“Listen to me”, he murmured. “What those disgusting bastards did to you … that's over. And we will never ever even think about doing that to you. What I'm trying to say is … if you ever can't defend yourself, we'll keep you safe. You're our little brother now. And if anyone even tries to touch you, they'll regret it. If I won't kill them, our fellow brothers will. Remember when you told us what happened to you and we all started fantasising about the horrible things we would do to your rapists?”

There was a watery chuckle: “Didn't you four come up with a plan involving castration, removing their eyes and hands and shoving Bājiè's rake or your staff up their asses?”

“M-hm. And we all meant it. That aside … I don't know how it feels to go through … that, because it never happened to me. But when you confided in us, I couldn't help but think … that could have been me. If the Celestials had wanted to do that to me, when I was imprisoned … I would've been powerless to stop them from living out whatever perverse fantasies they might've had. It didn't happen, but it could have …” He tightened his hug around Liù'ěr Míhóu, who hugged back just as tightly.

“Scary thought, isn't it?”, Wùkōng heard him whisper.

“Yeah. The thought of anyone touching me like that …” He shuddered. “Who knows, they might even have considered it!”

“Some did.”

“… What?”

“Before I pulled the identity theft, I listened into the past to learn all I could about you. At some point during your punishment, after Èrláng Shén burned down your place, but before the monk freed you, a group of Celestials suggested, that Heaven could make you their concubine. Guān Yīn scolded them for suggesting something so horrible, some child yelled at them and apparently kicked them in the crotch, because next thing they were screaming profanities-”

Must have been Nézhā. Good kid. I'll have to send him a fruit basket.

“-and then another screamed in agony, because someone stabbed them in the face.”

“What.”

“That's not even the craziest part: the one doing the stabbing was Èrláng Shén.”

“What!”

“I know, right? Trust me, if I hadn't heard it with my own ears, I wouldn't have believed it either. But yeah, one of the proposers screamed in pain and then someone said 'Did the Illustrious Sage just stab a fellow Celestial for the sake of that rabid ape?'. Not my words. And then the Jade Emperor kicked them out, saying the Celestial Realm is not a brothel.”

“What the fuck …?” Wùkōng's legs gave out and Liù'ěr Míhóu had to catch him. “What the fuck?!”, repeated the Monkey King, like a mantra. “What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuuuuu-”

“Maybe you should sit down?”, the Six-Eared Macaque awkwardly proposed and helped Wùkōng lean against the wall. “There. Now listen, I know this makes no sense-”

“You're damn right, it doesn't!”, hissed the Monkey King. “I can see Guān Yīn and Nézhā defend me (kid has a heart of jade, I will die on this hill), but Èrláng Shén?! He captured me, sic'ed his dog on me, burned down my home and killed my children, while I couldn't protect them- and then he suddenly decides to save me from possible sexual assault?! What?! This is unreal! What the hell is it with that guy?!”

Liù'ěr Míhóu shrugged: “Perhaps same reason as when he shot you for turning into a female bustard? Or he had a moment and secretly felt bad for burning down your mountain and killing your kin for your crimes against the Jade Emperor? I dunno, man. I couldn't hear him give an explanation and believe me, I listened closely.”

“I … this is too much! I … I can't even-”

“Maybe ask him next time you meet?”

Wùkōng scoffed: “Right! That's gonna be fucking hilarious! 'Hey, Èrláng, why did you stab that one guy in the face for suggesting I be made Heaven's sex slave, when you had no problem with murdering my innocent subjects?' Hah!”

“Okay, damn! Calm down! It was just an idea!” The Six-Eared Macaque sighed and stood up. “Let's get back to work. Maybe that'll help us get this shit off our minds.”

“Sounds good”, Wùkōng muttered and picked up his broom.

They went back to sweeping the stories of the pagoda in silence.

But as they were sweeping the twelfth, Liù'ěr Míhóu paused all of the sudden.

“What's wrong?”, Wùkōng whispered.

“Do you hear that?”, the other whispered back.

The Monkey King stood still and listened.

Indeed, he could hear something. Voices from the thirteenth floor – talking and laughing.

“Who the hells is still up there at this hour?”, he wondered. “Must be demons.”

“Wanna sneak up and beat a confession outta them?”

“Pfsh, who do you take me for?”