I wanted to talk about this because it's been on my mind since I finished season 4
The way peaches represent Sun Wukong and Macaque's relationship. When they're happy in Flower Fruit Mountain, just the two of them — no brotherhood, no Jade Emperor (along with the entirety of Heaven), no journey to the West —, Sun Wukong gives Macaque a peach.
It doesn't look like much. SWK eats peaches all the time and his mountain is filled with them (seriously, is that all he eats? He really, really really loves peaches, man. How does he not get tired of them? I'd get grossed out after the first few months), of course he'd give one to his best friend! His most loyal subject!
In this scene, they're comfortable with each other. SWK talks about how what he wants is to live a lazy life with him and his monkeys, just chilling and eating peaches and basking in the sun? I can't remember exactly what he said but the point is, that he wants things to stay like that forever. Just the two of them (along with a thousand monkeys), living happily in a mountain with SWK being strong enough to protect all of them
SWK gives Macaque a peach. Macaque accepts it; the peach is fine. They're good.
The next time we see one of them give the other a peach is during another flashback, the one where SWK and Macaque are talking while Sun Wukong is sealed under the mountain (the position he was in looked so uncomfortable? He wasn't laying on his belly with the mountain on his back, he looked like he was trying to run away before he got caught with the mountain on his back), and they are definitely not good then
Macaque offers Sun Wukong a peach (read; Macaque offers Sun Wukong a peach, when Wukong was the one to offer one to Macaque before. The sun gives the moon its light, but the moon can't offer anything to it in return) and Sun Wukong acts passive aggressive with him, leaving it clear that no, Mac, he doesn't want that fucking peach (well, maybe he does, but we'll get to that later)
They're both in the right here, but they're also both in the wrong. Macaque is right for being angry at Sun Wukong. If he hadn't followed Azure's plan (he [Azure] was so fucking grooming that monkey, what the fuck. Not sexual btw), the brotherhood would've been fine, and Sun Wukong wouldn't be trapped under the mountain. However, Sun Wukong is also allowed to be angry at Macaque; from his POV, Macaque ran away from the fight when he realized they were losing. Macaque pretty much abandoned him first. I'd be angry too, honestly
Macaque is wrong for telling Sun Wukong that he's the one that got himself in that mess when really, that was partly Azure's fault. Weren't it for him Sun Wukong apparently wouldn't have cared about Heaven, since unlike what happens in JTTW (haven't read it yet, pls tell me if I'm wrong!), all he wanted was to live a comfortable life and train his troops (Azure was the one who saw him first; he found this... child? And thought that yeah, he can use this. He put him in a pedestal and showered him in compliments he didn't deserve nor want. He manipulated him to get what he wanted; not a king, but a weapon)
Sun Wukong is in the wrong for treating Macaque like shit here too, since he literally warned him and again, he wasn't at fault. Neither of them were!
Back to the point — in this scene, when Sun Wukong rejects the peach, Macaque crushes it with his hand. Later, after Macaque leaves, Sun Wukong expresses how he actually really wanted that peach. Or, in other words, Macaque tries to offer Sun Wukong his support, his friendship, and when Sun Wukong rejects it, he gives up and destroys any way of getting back together; later, it is revealed that Sun Wukong didn't genuinely want to be left alone, and that he did still wish to be friends, in a way
This, we can say is the point where their relationship was broken. The peach is left on the floor, abandoned, and Sun Wukong with it. As far as we know, Macaque didn't come back after, and even if he did it's pretty obvious that wouldn't have gone very well
(Also, just to add, and you can skip this part if you want! When Macaque is looking at the memory, he looks kinda confused? Like he doesn't remember it happening that way. Maybe that's one of the LBD messed with when she brought him back, if she even was touching them. I'm not sure if that's canon, I forgot. Please tell me if you know?)
The next and last time one of them offers the other a peach it's, again, Sun Wukong to Macaque (it's almost like that's the way it's meant to be. Huh. Sun and moon indeed haha!)
They're in a beach again! Yay! Sun Wukong's (and possibly Macaque's later, if he gets a proper redemption arc) friends and family (MK and the gang, and also the DBK fam) are there too. Sun Wukong is watching them in the sun (lol) when Macaque goes and joins him. He doesn't even go there to annoy him and as far as we know he didn't even get an invite, so he really just went to the event to chill with SWK. During this whole scene, we can see that Macaque isn't interested in starting a fight (fucking finally, man), even if Sun Wukong does act kinda aggressive at first. Which, y'know. Fair
They're in a beach again. Presumably not the same one, but still a beach. They're back to the beginning, but not really, because they're both different people. They've changed, and their relationship(s) with them
This time, it's not an actual peach being offered. It's a peach popsicle. I don't know how to spell that. Sun Wukong offers it to Macaque, and Macaque looks surprised but eventually accepts it. He appears to be happy with this
This I believe represents how they're both willing to begin a new relationship (platonic, romantic or something else, see it as you want). A new relationship; a changed one
Sun Wukong doesn't give Macaque an actual peach, he gives him a peach popsicle. He's offering his friendship, an offering Macaque accepts, but it's not the same it was before, and it never will be. They know they'll never be the way they were in the past, and they accept it. Sun Wukong offers Macaque his friendship, telling him that it won't be the same, but that if they want to heal then they've got to accept that — and Macaque takes it. It's not the same, there are mistakes that can never be fixed and actions that can't be undone, but they're willing to start anew
It'll be different, but it could be even better if they try (if they fucking COMMUNICATE for once)
And the popsicle will eventually melt. They'll eventually fight again; they'll fall apart, and maybe get so angry at each other they'll refuse to talk to each other for a while (y'know how stubborn they can be), but (usually depending on where you live) popsicles can be surprisingly cheap!
If the popsicle melts, if they struggle, they'll just buy another one, they'll just keep trying
Now all we need is a scene where Sun Wukong (or Macaque, to show them as equals if not in power then in... y'know, their relationship? I'm not sure what the word would be) gives Macaque an actual peach to show how they're them again. Not the same, never the same, but still them
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STICK SEASON: WE'LL ALL BE HERE FOREVER.
taken from the 2023 album by noah kahan. trigger warnings for mental illness, trauma, medication, references to suicide, and the exquisite agony of life in rural new england. feel free to change wording and pronouns and provide context as necessary. do not add to this list.
northern attitude.
how you been?
you settled down?
you feelin’ right?
you feelin’ proud?
you settle in to routine.
what does it mean?
i’m not how you hoped.
you’re gettin’ lost.
scared to live, scared to die.
you’re feelin’ lost.
stick season.
you must’ve had yourself a change of heart.
now i am stuck between my anger and the blame that i can’t face.
it’s half my fault, but i just like to play the victim.
i’ll dream each night of some version of you that i might not have but i did not lose.
i thought that if i piled something good on all my bad i could cancel out the darkness i inherited from dad.
i miss the way you laugh.
you once called me forever now you still can’t call me back.
that’ll have to do.
my other half was you.
i hope this pain’s just passin’ through, but i doubt it.
all my love.
how have things been?
well, love, now that you mention it.
i’m sayin’ too much, but you know how it gets out here.
now i know your name, but not who you are.
it’s all okay, there ain’t a drop of bad blood.
you got all my love.
if you need me, dear, i’m the same as i was.
what i’d give to have you out of me.
i still recall how the leather in your car feels.
and at the end of it all, i just hope that your scars heal.
i swear i was scared to death.
i smiled stupid the whole way home.
you said, ‘i’ll never let you go.’
she calls me back.
there was heaven in your eyes.
everything’s alright.
look at me and don’t you lie.
don’t you hold your head up high.
for bullshit, i do not have time.
do you lie awake restless?
why am i so obsessive?
this town’s the same as you left it.
the radio is taunting me.
i don’t get much sleep most nights.
i’m seeing you in every dream.
if only i could fall asleep.
i’ll love you when the oceans dry.
i was too afraid of living life in your footsteps.
come over.
it was there when we got here, will be there when we leave.
you won’t have to guess who they’re speakin’ about.
i’m in the process of clearin’ out cobwebs.
i was takin’ the wrong meds; feels good to be sad.
my house is just barely big enough for my family.
my mouth was designed for my foot to fit in it.
i promise you, darlin’.
you won’t ever go back.
i know that it ain’t much.
i know that it ain’t cool.
you don’t have to tell the other kids at school.
someday i’m gonna be somebody people want.
new perspective.
makin’ me nostalgic.
we were kids; but that don’t make this less hard.
if i could fly i doubt i’d even do it.
i’d probably get high and crash or somethin’ stupid.
gave me your word.
i can’t pronounce it.
no thing so sure that i can’t learn to doubt it.
everywhere, everything.
would we survive in a horror movie?
we trust everyone we meet.
we’re littered with scars from our preteens.
i wanna love you ‘til we’re food for the worms to eat.
‘til our fingers decompose, keep my hand in yours.
i know every route in this county.
maybe that ain’t such a bad thing.
i’ll tell you where not to speed.
it’s been a long year.
orange juice.
honey, come over.
it’s yours if you want it.
we’re just glad you could visit.
feels like i’ve been ready for you to come home for so long.
i didn’t think to ask you where you’d gone.
why’d you go?
my heart has changed and my soul has changed.
you just asked me to hold you.
it made you a stranger and it filled you with anger.
my life has changed.
the world has changed.
don’t you find it strange that you just went ahead and carried on?
are we all just pullin’ you down?
strawberry wine.
darling, speak to me.
don’t you say a word.
you thought you were cursed?
i’m in love with every song you’ve ever heard.
if i could lose you, i would.
all the time we used to have.
the things i miss but know are never coming back.
no thing defines a man like love that makes him soft.
growing sideways.
finally found some middle ground.
i said, ‘i’m cured.’
i divvied up my anger into thirty separate parts.
i’m still angry at my parents for what their parents did to them.
it’s a start.
but i ignore things and i move sideways ‘til i forget what i felt in the first place.
i know there are worse ways to stay alive.
everyone’s growing and everyone’s healthy.
if my engine works perfect on empty, i guess i’ll drive.
i forgot my medication, fell into a manic high.
now i’m sufferin’ in style.
why is pain so damn impatient? ain’t like it���s got a place to be.
if all my time was wasted, i don’t mind.
i’ll watch it go.
it’s better to die numb than feel it all.
halloween.
the dawn isn’t here, the sun hasn’t rose.
they got money to make and children back home.
i worry for you, you worry for me.
the bridges have long since been burnt.
i’m leavin’ this town and i’m changin’ my address.
i know that you’ll come if you want.
i’m losin’ myself.
i’m seein’ my life on a screen.
i know that you fear that i’m wicked and weary.
i know that you’re fearin’ the end.
i only tell the truth when i’m sure that i’m lyin’.
homesick.
are you bored yet?
the weather ain’t been bad if you’re into masochistic bullshit.
this place is such great motivation for anyone tryna move the fuck away from hibernation.
time moves so damn slow i swear i feel my organs failing.
i stopped caring ‘bout a month ago, since then it’s been smooth sailing.
i would leave if only i could find a reason.
i got dreams, but i cant make myself believe them.
i’ll spend the rest of my life with what could have been.
i will die in the house that i grew up in.
i’m homesick.
still.
i don’t wanna say goodbye.
it only falls into place when you’re fallin’ to pieces.
you miss something that you can’t place but you can’t deny it.
you can’t stay here.
it’s hard to face and it feels too ugly.
it’s like i’m still here with you.
can i fix what is broken?
the view between villages (extended).
for a minute, the world seems so simple.
i am not scared of death.
i’ve got dreams again.
there is meanin’ on earth.
i feel so far from it.
it’s all washin’ over me.
i’m angry again.
the things that i lost here, the people i knew.
they got me surrounded for a mile or two.
i found a town big enough for anything i want.
i’m not a city girl, by any means.
it still has a lot of meaning to me.
i grew up there.
your needs, my needs.
you ain’t gotta tell me what it means.
i promise to be there this time. alright?
you were a work of art.
that’s the hardest part.
i’m naming the stars in the sky after you.
dial drunk.
i promised to forget you.
i ain’t takin’ any fault.
am i half the man i used to be? i doubt it.
forget about it, whatever.
it’s all the same anyways.
i ain’t proud of all the punches that i’ve thrown.
for the shame of being young, drunk, and alone.
i gave your name as my emergency phone call.
i’d die for you.
from charmin’ to alarmin’ in seconds.
i’ll let the pain metastasize.
i beg you, sir, just let me call.
let’s wait, i swear she’ll call me back.
son, are you a danger to yourself?
fuck that, sir.
son, why do you do this to yourself?
paul revere.
this place had a heartbeat in its day.
nothin’ was the same.
it just ain’t that simple, it never was.
one day i’m gonna cut it clear.
i’m not from around here.
i’ll leave before the road crew’s out.
i’ll turn up the music and i’ll forget.
i’m not ready to let go yet.
i’ll just pretend i didn’t hear.
it’s typical, i fear.
folks just disappear.
if i could leave, i would’ve already left.
no complaints.
i thought i had something and that’s the same as having something.
i get mad at nothing.
i pull no punches, then feel bad for months.
thought i was raised better, tried to fake better.
now the weight of the world ain’t so bad.
i saw the end, it looks just like the middle.
i filled the hole in my head with prescription medication.
who am i to complain?
now the pain’s different. It still exists, it just escapes different.
yes, i’m young and living dreams.
i’m in love with being noticed and afraid of being seen.
call your mom.
oh, you’re spiralin’ again.
don’t you cancel any plans.
stayed on the line with you the entire night ‘til you let it out and let it in.
don’t let this darkness fool you.
i’ll drive all night.
i’ll call your mom.
oh, dear, don’t be discouraged.
i’ve been exactly where you are.
if you could see yourself like this.
you’dve never tried it.
stayed on the line with you the entire night ‘til you told me that you had to go.
throw a punch, fall in love, give yourself a reason.
don’t wanna drive another mile wonderin’ if you’re breathin’.
won’t you stay with me?
you’re gonna go far.
this is good land, or at least it was.
it takes a strong hand and a sound mind.
it makes me smile to know when things get hard, you’ll be far from here.
pack up your car.
put a hand to your heart.
say whatever you feel.
be wherever you are.
we ain’t angry at you, love.
you’re the greatest thing we’ve lost.
the birds will still sing.
we’ll be waiting for you, love.
we’ll all be here forever.
we spent so long just getting by.
that’s the thing about survival; who the hell likes livin’ just to die?
you told me you would make a difference.
it won’t be by your own volition if you step foot outside this town.
it’s all we’ve had for always.
you’re gonna go far.
if you wanna go far, then you gotta go far.
forever.
let’s drive for no reason.
you look fine in the evening.
honey, it’s starting to storm.
used to wish i meant anything to anywhere, to anyone.
i’m glad i get forever to see where you end.
i won’t be alone for the rest of my life.
i’ll meet a girl in the heat of july.
i’ll tell her so she knows.
i’m broke, but i’m real rich in my head.
when i hold her close, i might loosen my grip, but i won’t ever let her go.
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