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sketching-shark · 1 year

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Do you like the sun and moon allegory that the show push for swk n LEMH n to a lesser extent how the fandom r pushing it futher by including mk as the star??

I dont rlly get why that of all symbolisms gets to b hammer in the most. My feelings for it is v much went from neutral to dislike bc it box in swk into this sorta narrative that ‘oh things were easy for him n hes so bright!” And oh poor macaque he got stuck in the shadows of swk bc he the moon! Like huh?? Definitely didn’t spurred me bc of how some ppl were quick to equate “sun” as what it mean in sun wukong name.

I just rlly don’t like this inclusion to the whole LEMH v SWK. I got more to say but this just it for rn soo thoughts?

Monkie Kid spoilers below

asdfrgerwredsff well as the local "guy who gets stupid angry at how completely western canon and fanon refuses to engage with the og classic true & false monkey king arc" I can't say I'm a fan anon. And yeah the automatic equation of the "Sun" in Sun Wukong to the English word "sun" was a bit goofy if understandable at first (we all work under particular assumptions based on the cultures and languages we were raised in after all), but now in a lot of ways it seems to stand as one more example of how many people in a dominant culture won't take the time to even do a quick google search to see what a word's meaning in its original context was.

But aside from that I personally don't feel like this sun and moon allegory & the underlying insistence on a close relationship is doing either Sun Wukong, the Six-Eared Macaque, or even Qi Xiaotian any favors...I've given my thoughts about this in other posts, but a quick summary is that even though Monkie Kid appears to have veered away sharply from the interpretation of the Six-Eared Macaque as a living manifestation of SWK's worst aspects and made him more of an independent character, his ongoing violent obsession with the Monkey King still means he has basically 0% traits or things in his life that aren't defined by SWK in some form or another. Everything from his apparent goals to his artistic expression is focused on the Monkey King, and given how thoroughly he hates him in the show's present well that is not a good situation for anyone to be in. In regards to SWK himself, the decision to give his and LEMH's relationship more importance through pushing the sun and moon allegory also has been a pretty big part in the presentation of the Monkey King as a worse and worse of a person. Because in Monkie Kid LEMH was originally introduced as an antagonist, but the route that's been chosen partially to make him more sympathetic was to repeatedly frame SWK as a betraying power-hungry bastard, just like LEMH claimed in his shadow puppet play. So now it's like we started with an image of SWK as genuinely heroic, but as he keeps making disastrous calls in the present and and information about his past comes out it's like him as a sun wasn't so much about providing life-giving warmth as it was about blinding and burning everyone around him, with the show itself being like "psych! turns out SWK lies all the time. psych! his plan to stop the Lady Bone Demon was indeed hot garbage. psych! actually all he ever does is hurt those who loved and trusted him. psych! it's been hinted that even Qi Xiaotian in his deepest and darkest truths is now convinced that SWK is nothing but an agent of chaos & destruction & he's terrified he'll turn out just like him." And then of course Qi Xiaotian is there having been repeatedly traumatized not just by the main big bads but also by LEMH repeatedly beating him up and also by the disastrous consequences of SWK's carelessness & bad judgment. So. Lmao.

Now of course I need to note that there's still a lot of unanswered questions about what precisely happened in the past from SWK's perspective, whose answers may indeed help clear up this toxic morass that is the current dynamic between SWK, LEMH, and Qi Xiaotian. And chances are good I'm forgetting more positive stuff or making the context appear worse than it actually is. Even so, I think you can point to the "the hero and the warrior were like the sun and the moon" as being one of the main starting points for the "SWK actually sucks and LEMH is the main victim of his terribleness" thesis that seems pretty popular in fandom and increasingly in canon. Again, I might just be carrying too much of a negative nancy pessimism about all of this, and of course it must be acknowledged that the overall situation is more complicated, but at least to me as it currently stands the sun and moon allegory seems to have not accomplished much except flip the "good" and "evil" designations between SWK and LEMH (X_X)

#monkie kid #monkie kid spoilers #anon answered

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birbs-n-cats · 9 months

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Im really curious on your thoughts on monkey mk = evil mk

That take makes me sick but I'm curious on your opinion on this or on lmk in general

It disrespected everything that swk had ever done.

Bc it absolutely reduces him as one note character by implying mk monkey form as evil. Do you get how disrespectful that is to the original novel? Bc i assure you not even og swk was considered absolutely evil.

I know im talking mainly about swk but by implying mk monkey form as evil disregard why swk never had the will to changed himself. Bc all that layer of complexity of being something that defied the natural order if what make swk the stone monkey be much more compelling than evil me bc form is evil!! Bc hes a monkey but actually he isnt hes a stone monkey. Oh so hes a yaoguai? But then not really bc he became part celestials? But then again no bc he *is* quite malicious and brutal but that because his actions is not because its in his nature then again he managed to receive enlightenment and gained buddhahood sooo…he all of it at the same time as hes not just simply one or the other.

Bc honestly by saying mk monkey form is evil is just like saying swk’s human form is evil!! Like huh?! That just out of nowhere—theyre still they same person.(despite the fact swk will never ever have a human form but pls bared w me)

Mk is still just mk—he cant just simply become evil when its just himself becoming apart of him again. Also it makes his circumstances be like the og novel of swk v lemh except it mk n his monkey form.

What makes a demon a demon is in his actions to be quite malicious and brutal to humans and disregards their lives to the point of eating them to achieve a higher standing of power. (Like og bdk, OG the camel ridge trio, FUCKING OG LEMH AND WHITE BONE SPIRIT SO MANY OTHERS

And thats why swk was considered evil in the sense he was being brutal and malicious in his actions and would have continued that path of destruction if weren’t for his redemption arc being the journey to the west.

And mk never got to the point of disregard lives bc theyre beneath him and that why his monkey form shouldnt be considered evil bc its a monkey form. Had he did then it should have been shown throughout the show that he was being corrupted in his actions due the addiction of powers way before his monkey form was ever reveal.

Actions dictate the nature of a person’s not their state of being.

(Ima edit this once i get a full night sleep but yeah, jttw is complex that i do reccomemd @journeytothewestresearch for more in-depth info

#lmk mk #lego monkie kid #sun wukong #im not tagging this w jttw bc i know yall get flooded w lmk stuff n idk if this applicable #birbscats rambles

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fluffypotatey · 9 months

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(this anon only knows lmk sorry) any lmk season 5 theories?

ah yes…..s5 theories…..

MK will be clingy with Sun Wukong (if he isn’t imma be so sad) bc that guy lost his mentor enough times

MK training on how to use his monkey form

MK struggling with his identity (ngl I think this will be the main conflict of the season bc you had s1 that was MK: the Monkie Kid!, s2 was MK: the Monkie Kid?, s3 was MK: the “Monkie” Kid, and s4 was MK: the— OH FUCK A MONKEY)

Shadoepeach reconciliation via solo episode (plsssssssss, pls, pls, pls!!!!!!)

More info on JTTW companions and the reincarnations (Ao Lie might still be alive *crossing my fingers* Sandy mayhaps not reincarnation???? JTTW FLASHBACK PLS NO MORE OF THESE STILLS I WANT MOVING PICTURES)

Ten Kings have gone rogue

Nezha solo episode 👀 ¿porfa?

Peng returns and is working with hooded man???? (Idk not completely sure)

MK training episode with Mac and SWK working as mentors together (I would be ok if this was a s6 thing or even a s5 special)

Mei v MK (verbal fight or physical; either way one of them will snap)

and uh yeah those are some brief summaries of theories I have 🥰

#lmk #lego monkie kid #asks #anonymous

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angelfoodcake222 · 7 months

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***claps hands together in a vice-like clasp, hunched over desk & phone.***

I have no clue which idea would appeal to y'all more. Not. One. BIT. I can't pick a single one to focus on either... However! I've decided to make a poll to include you lovelies in helping decide JY's story from options I've already typed up roughly. The way to do this is simple enough; multiple choice! Pick a corresponding letter to your desired story plot. You get to be included & I get some sleep. Win-win. Read on if you'd like!

🍎A. Illegitimate offspring/product of a violent, possibly lethal interaction between SWK & Mac. Fathers & daughter arch, NSFW Is limited to violence & gore/brutality.

🍌B. Weapon made by Heaven using bodily elements from SWK & Mac to end them both along with Gibbons & Baboon. (possible/likely) Fathers & daughter arch, NSFW Is limited to violence & gore/brutality.

🌽C. Originally supposed to be a pacifying gift between SWK & Mac not too long before the interaction mentioned in "A", but LBD has scouts steal her & raises her to do the same as "B" but sends her after whoever &/or whatever she [LBD] views as a hindrance to her plans. Fathers & daughter arch, NSFW Is limited to violence & gore/brutality.

🐉🥝D. One of the handfuls of members from SWK's original troop (whom he made immortal for erasing their names from the Book of Mortality) who was snatched by a lone poacher who sold her & the others to ancient scientists who were in league with a certain life-snatching GN bird beast to do as Heaven did in "B". Not a familial-based arch at all, NSFW is not limited to violence & gore/brutality. Expansion on this is still being pieced together atm.

🥚🍳E. Outcast of a wholly separate troop not too far from SWK's due to physical &/or cosmetic appearance, behavior, etc. Follows "D" but only on the poaching & experimenting parts. The rest is plain, old-fashioned humans playing divinity & messing up horribly similarly to their "D" variant.Not a familial-based arch at all, NSFW is not limited to violence & gore/brutality. Expansion on this is still being pieced together atm.

•🍎Please note that within (the first) Family-based storylines will have a feathered (not Peng) love interest for JY leading to Doubled Dad instincts; Tripled & Quadrupleded if Pigsy & Tang get involved. The family will be formidable as JY would be a sort of niece to PIF & DBK along with Red Son's cousin. MK viewing her as a sort of relative might not ease matters at all. Angst & drama will ensue but not the type of violence that includes blood & gore, just regular punches & bruising. Like in the show. Happy, fun stuff mostly.

•🍌🌽🐉🥝🥚🍳 Also note that in the Not-Family-Based storyline, relationship-based angst will be a major part as well. The Blood & gore type of violence will be present as some plot pieces wouldn't make sense if it weren't for said violence. SWK v. Mac for JY's affection will result in primal violence. Like the kind in most of the fics I've been finding on here [Tumblr]. Somber, not-so-fun stuff mostly.

Take your pick, lovelies! *Cue the "Jeopardy: thinking" theme*

If you have suggestions, please send an ask, message me, or leave a comment below! Have a nice day/night!

#writers on tumblr #mature #fanfiction writer #lmk mk #lmk sun wukong #lmk monkey king #lmk macaque #lmk #Help me out here y'all

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ninja-knox-ur-sox-off · 2 years

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Alright I’m not done thinking bout this actually.

Macaque did the equivalent of teaching Mk how to backflip before he’d developed the muscles to jump.

Going right to the advanced stuff is actually really bad for your body and the way you preform. We learn the basics first to build off of the principles that will keep us from injuring ourselves or stretching a muscle that wasn’t ready for it. Rushing can result in life-long injuries you never recover from. This is how it works with any sort of sport or fighting technique. You start with the basics and build up your strength until you can do the full move in a safe way without harming yourself and it takes a lot of practice and requires you to know exactly where your body is at so you don’t risk injuring yourself. Pushing yourself is never the answer unless you know how to do it safely. You never sacrifice technique for speed when weightlifting or you can really injure yourself.

That’s how Wukong teaches. Only problem is he teaches in the “classic” mentor way of not telling the student why they’re doing a specific something over and over again. The way he teaches in principle is good. He’s building up Mk’s strength, endurance and technique, both mentally and physically before he teaches him the same things but with an actual weapon and flips and adding big huge destruction. It’s getting him to know his own strength before he gets to know the strength of the staff and the powers that he has and building him so he’ll be able to handle said power.

And as I mentioned in a previous post, he certainly isn’t in a rush to teach Mk which can come off as lazy or like he’s not paying attention, but in reality, he just knows it’s going to take a while. He spent a long time mastering a lot of his stuff. Doing it the right way isn’t going to be the fast way, and he wants to do this the right way without risking the powers he gave him hurting Mk.

Combat training builds you up from where you are. The same punches over and over and over again seem boring and useless and annoying, but it builds up the muscles you need to punch hard and fast in different ways without hurting yourself. If you punch too hard before you’ve built up strength and the right technique can result in you breaking your wrist, hand or your fingers, or even shredding up and breaking the skin of your knuckles. (that’s why we wear hand wraps, for support and protection.) Mk has all that power, but none of that actual physical strength that he needs in order to use it without hurting himself after he gives up his invincibility, and that’s when SWK really steps into teach him, because now that that is gone, he knows Mk’s gonna need to really know this stuff to stay safe.

Mk, like a lot of students, doesn’t see the point in this and it’s really exhausting to do the same thing over and over again. To watch the cool flips and epic wall destroying and be told you can’t do that yet. Like, honestly why does it have to take so long? It’s disheartening and frustrating and that’s where he’s at when Macaque steps in.

I’ll teach you what you WANT to know. Baiting them with what they want is how you get to people. Macaque essentially teaches Mk how to punch with the all the power to break a wall, to make it hurt, but not to keep his thumb outside of the curled fist to prevent it from being broken. He tells him, push yourself as hard as you can and use as much power as you can and that is how you fight. Your first strike should be your last. Which is actually a good motto, ending a fight fast is what you want, just not in the way he’s going about it. (the more truth your lie is the more convincing it can be.) You can’t win a fight every time by hurting yourself. That builds up and isn’t sustainable in the long run.

So Mk’s doing backflips and smashing things, power channeling through him that his body isn’t ready for. Honestly, it’s possible that if it weren’t for the seal that Macaque had slapped onto him taking his energy and charging itself up, Mk might have been seriously hurt due to an overload of celestial power in his mortal body.

Macaque’s a manipulator. And a pretty decently skilled one at that. Could be one of the best if he wasn’t so incapable of looking outside his own personal biases. The way he teaches Mk makes exactly what he wants to happen… happen. Honestly thinking about my teaching techniques post, i don’t even know if we can really call this Macaque’s way of teaching because it was all a manipulation to bring about a certain outcome. Drive a wedge between Mk and Wukong to keep the mentor from realizing whats going on, and to keep the student from getting better advice from the mentor. And use that wedge to get Mk to do what he wants. To rely on him and listen to him so he can get that power he’s trying to steal.

I don’t think Macaque really cares about Mk one way or another at first (at least not as much as he cares about trying to fight Wukong, so not enough to get him to really notice things about Mk aside from “he’s Wukong’s student”,) but he does, I think, get more invested and interested in him when he realizes how much Wukong actually cares about his student, because what better way to get back at Wukong than to take something he cares about from him and make it his?

I do think it’s interesting however that before realizing how much Wukong cared about him, he didn’t really have the intention to kill Mk. His plan seemed to be just to snatch the powers and then go fight and try to kill (literally impossible to) Wukong. He could have, probably, easily killed Mk when he took his powers. Mk might have Monkey King’s powers but he does not have his immortality. Macaque gloats and has a lot of fun destroying Mk’s self-confidence and digging his claws into his insecurities, but he doesn’t seem to actually have the intention to hurt him ooutside of words until after Wukong doesn’t fully fight him. And even then, as he says, “it’s nothing personal,” he just wants Wukong to fight him and if the thing stopping him is gone than he would fight him.

Macaque really doesn’t seem to care for anyone in any sort of way outside of how they can serve him to get to Wukong. He’s so obsessed with Monkey King to the point where it actually makes him stupid, because he’s so used to assuming and analyzing things about Sun Wukong it’s like he’s forgotten how to do it with anyone else. In shadowplay he was WAAAYYY off the mark when trying to analyze Mk. To the point where Mk almost isn’t phased by his attempted manipulation because he can see the self-projection loud and clear and knows it’s not him. The moment Macaque is trying to actually have a (personal??) connection, he fails almost completely at it because he probably hasn’t allowed himself to even really stop and chill for a second since setting out on his quest for revenge against Wukong.

I keep like, going off on tangents in my own analysis posts bGKL;MAEFOEAW so I’ll stop here for now. Just staring right at Macaque wondering what the heck his plan is outside of “kill Wukong” or if he even has one, or even knows how to have one that doesn’t involve the other monkey. For someone who seems to want him gone so bad, he sure doesn’t seem to be able to be a person without him defining part of him.

“Aren’t’ you sick of living in my shadow?”

In shadows seems to be the only place Macaque knows where to be.

#knox rambles #Six Eared Macaque #Monkie Kid #LEGO Monkie Kid #from a character standpoint its just kinda neat #Monkie Kid Headcanons #monkie kid analysis #I'm just sitting here BGKAMWOE #Mk #Monkey King | Sun Wukong #I FEEL LIKE I'M REPEATING MYSELF A LOT SO I APOLOGIZE IF THAT'S THE CASE #One thought just leads to another and they're v much interconnected bGKAMFOE #long post #not super long but eh tagging anyways bGKAMEFOW #Thinking about what Lupin said about SWK and Mac being like two sides of one mentor and how if they taught together they'd fill in all the #missing pieces in stuff which is still interesting btw lupin u big brained

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imminent-danger-came · 9 months

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So- we all agree that MK will at some point fight his friends.

But what do you think would cause an actual fight to break out? I can imagine a CONFRONTATION. Arguing, a small scale brawl or scuffle. A full blown, all out, cataclysmic battle however? HOW???

Yeah, MK did lash out at Macaque when he was pretending to be Wukong. MK was definitely upset, but the thing that made him want to straight up fight Wukong was Macaque antagonizing him and hitting him where it hurts.

Mei and the real Wukong wouldn’t do that. They love MK too much. And vice versa. I just can‘t imagine them fighting eachother while fully aware.

Do you think it would be a loss of control situation? That MK‘s too powerful to contain? Brainwashing 2.0? Golden Circlet? Someone pretending to be MK and leaving the real one to deal with thr consequences? I‘m just listing all the different tropes at this point oof

Or do you have a specific scenario in mind that you think could realistically happen or hope for?

So! I think it'll be a combination of a loss of control, good ol' fashioned manipulation, and MK learning something that pushes him over the edge.

Like, you know in 4x13 where MK says things that distinctly don't feel like MK—"We'll alright then", "Oh there's nothing mindless about me friend"—and he's smiling and very much unhinged, and it's all kinda scary? I feel like there's gonna be a lot more of that next season, all aligning with MK and his fate vs what he actually wants. Like:

Subodhi: “Who or what you are, even I do not know the answer—but of one thing, I am certain: fate has plans for you! Great plans, or foul? Time will tell.” MK: "I- I can't be! I'm just MK!" Subodhi: "The Monkie Kid?" MK: *Gasps*

(4x06 Show Me the Monster)

"Great plans, or foul?" - "Remind me how this 'game' is supposed to convince me I'm not destined to turn into an evil monkey demon thing again? Cause every option I pick takes me to this same screen!" - Aka, despite your choices the final outcome is inevitable. MK wants to be MK, but he's also the Monkie Kid, and he can't separate himself from whatever he is—i.e. MK is gonna have to reconcile the different parts of himself, including the parts of himself he refuses to acknowledge.

The conclusion Macaque helps MK come to at the end of s4 is that no one can decide who MK is for him ("Only you get to decide who you are kiddo."), and what I LOVE to point out is that the person who decided who MK is, who he will be, was in fact himself—or at least the curse version of himself:

(*sigh* this wasn't supposed to be super long and then it was. The rest under the cut!)

Curse MK: “Haha, seriously? You still think we’re just some, noodle delivery guy? You can’t remember where we came from, and we got ALL this power, and you never once thought, WHY US? What are we? What is our purpose?”

Curse MK: “You can’t escape it, this thing, whatever you are, embrace it. Embrace your destiny.”

Curse MK: "You can see it, can't you? This is your fate. Your friends will turn on you, seeing you for the monster you will become. They will destroy you, harbinger of chaos."

(4x07 Pitiful Creatures)

It's this interesting mess, where it seems like MK is spiraling towards becoming something else, something he doesn't want to become. So let's add a little check mark next to the "loss of control" box for why MK is fighting his friends next season—I'm not sure he'll be entirely "himself" if you catch my drift (maybe a kinda Samadhi Fire Mei situation, similar to the way she loses control).

Next point: good ol' fashioned manipulation.

So, just like LBD we got another puppet master on our hands, the person who was pulling the strings and released Azure.

AKA whoever the fuck this guy is:

Hooded Figure: "There will of course be an inquiry into how the scroll of memory was stolen in the first place, and what is to be done now that the Jade Emperor has been dethroned. The universe is perilously close to tipping into chaos. If it comes to light that any of this party were involved, you can believe the consequences will be dire—but only a fraction of the price compared to what shall come to pass should you succeed."

(4x14 Better Than We Found It)

The thing about this guy who wanted Azure to become the Jade Emperor and lose control—perhaps they wanted the Jade Emperor's power without a host so they could use it for their own purposes?—is that we don't know what their plan is, but we can assume it's going to include MK ("Great plans or foul?", MK as a "harbinger of chaos" with this mystery person trying to tip the universe into chaos, etc.—I'd argue they're the next stand in for destiny)

Which gets me to my point: our hooded figure is going to manipulate MK the same way they manipulated Azure, and the same way LBD manipulated MK before, which means gettin' all up inside MK's head. Making him doubt both himself and Monkey King and his friends.

And well, people trying to turn MK against Wukong has had a track record of MK absolutely losing his shit and going into Monkey form before (which admittedly may be the very thing the hooded figure wants):

1.) The very first time MK glitches into Monkey Form is after the curse insists that "We're just like Wukong—a fraud! A trickster! Destructive! Why would our legacy be any different? Actually, no no- the chaos and destruction we'll bring upon the world will make Wukong's past look like nothing."

2.) Then, first time MK fully enters monkey form is after the curse insists that "It's just like the Lady Bone Demon said—all you'll ever do is cause pain and suffering!", which in itself is tied to the words Mei says to Wukong in 3x10 "Don't you see you're hurting the people who care about you the most?" which is ALSO tied to 4x08 with the reason MK decides to run off to begin with—he's afraid of hurting the people he cares about (just like Wukong) and that perhaps he really is only destined to cause pain and suffering.

3.) After 4x07 MK goes into his Monkey Form again in 4x08, but this time it's after Azure tried to destroy MK's faith in Wukong ("Monkey King's a hero he wouldn't just-" "You saw it with your own eyes! His betrayal his brutality, he took the only friends I had from me."). MK really starts to lose it after he learns Azure won't release Wukong from the scroll ("I won't let you take Monkey King away from me again!").

4.) Next, in 4x09, MK starts glitching into Monkey Form after Macaque insults Wukong ("Or, he was just doing his usual Wukong thing and being a lazy peach eating idiot—ignoring all the worlds problems."). It's also directly after MK wonders why Wukong stayed on flower fruit mountain all those years: "You think Monkey King ever felt like this? Maybe that's why he stayed up on this mountain, just having a good time with you guys. You know cause- cause he knew he'd be out of the way where he couldn't hurt anyone he cared about."

5.) Next instance of Monkey Form isn't until 4x13, but I'd argue it's the most relevant of the bunch. For the entire special MK hadn't flickered into Monkey Form once, but he does after Azure starts insulting his loyalty to Wukong: ""After all Sun Wukong has put you through, how much he has let you down, you would STILL meet your fate trying to protect him? He doesn't deserve such loyalty, yet you insist on learning the hard way, just as I did. I should have never trusted the Monkey King! The false sage, equal to NOTHING!"

And then after this we have the scariest instances of Monkey MK I ever did see:

MK is ripe to be manipulated in all the wrong ways, specifically around his relationship with Monkey King—and perhaps even his friends if the situation gets bad enough (though I would imagine it being something more like MK trying to leave to protect them [again] and the gang not letting him) (Other side note: there are literally 5 examples of MK going into Monkey Form because of how his relationship/view of Wukong is being called into question, all at the end of s4. That is so many).

I think a la 2x05 and 4x07 MK will also have his perception of himself pushed to it's limits via our new antagonist. So rather than Wukong or Mei antagonizing MK for him to lash out, I'd say our puppet master will be the one to antagonize MK. To push him towards whatever they need MK to be for their plans.

And with that, I'm checking off box number 2 "good ol' fashioned manipulation".

Now onto point number 3, MK learning info that pushes him over the edge (which will be helped by point number 2 and lead to point number 1, FULL CIRCLE BABY).

So the special definitely set up the fact that there's more both MK and the audience don't know about Wukong's past, particularly around Macaque:

Macaque: "Every choice has consequences kid, for someone." MK: "Okay come on man! What happened between you two, for realzies!"

MK: "Seriously! Come on man I need answers!"

(4x11 A Lifetime of Mistakes)

Oh sweet MK, answers you will receive! They just won't be the answers you want. (The fact that MK is questioning Wukong's past at all, along with the curse saying "We're just like Wukong" as proof they were destructive, leads me to believe that uh, maybe your boy is having some doubts! One of the things MK is specifically upset at Azure about is that the Lion attempted to "turn him against his own mentor". That's all gonna lead somewhere)

Which, the implication is clear:

For undoubtedly some important reason, Wukong had to either kill Macaque or bring him to deaths door. But, MK over there who refused to abandon or hurt Mei even when she was going to burn away reality, who refused to abandon his friends even if it might risk unleashing the curse into the world, might not understand the nuances (hi "good guy" V "bad guy" binary mentality) of whatever happened between Wukong and Macaque.

Lego Monkie Kid is a show where plot points and arcs line up—the fact that MK's faith in Wukong is being questioned, the origin of SWK and Macaque's falling-out is just around the corner, and MK losing control is a very likely possibility, it all means I would be surprised if it everything wasn't going to be acknowledged at around the same time. All these things will build off of one another, and MK is going to spiral HARD (and SWK probably will too. Sorry boys)

The Macaque and SWK backstory alone would be enough I think, or WHATEVER other Wukong past plot points they want to introduce, but we also have the matter of MK's origins—his purpose. Why he was created and why he exists (again that who MK wants to be VS what fate has in store for him, and acknowledging the different parts of himself). MK, without any real knowledge of what he is, already believed that he was destined to bring chaos. Say, MK were to learn that he was either created for such a purpose or was something that caused chaos before (hello EAMK), this would absolutely RUIN MK's perception of himself.

So then combining all of these different problems and the culmination of MK's series long crippling self-doubt/identity arc, we're like, fucked? Honestly I can't imagine MK not having a full blown, all out, cataclysmic battle and breakdown.

There have also been certain things building up from s2 that MK never really talked about with Wukong. MK was willing to punch Wukong in 2x07 (the og "hey MK your mentor kinda sucks" episode). He was clearly hurt by Wukong's decision to leave in s2, Wukong proceeded to lie all through s3, and after Monkey King apologizes to MK in 3x14, he sort of brushes it off:

Sun Wukong: "I know I can never make it up to you. Honestly, I- I never thought I'd live as long as I have let alone be someone's mentor—turns out I'm not very good at it. I guess what I'm trying to say is...I'm sorry MK. For all of it." MK: "It's okay—I can always get another bowl of noodles."

Sun Wukong: "Wha! No! Not the noodles! Ugh! I mean, I'm sorry for being a bad mentor and making you clean up after my mess!" MK: "I know—sometimes I just play dumb to lighten the mood."

(3x14 Destiny Fulfilled) (Crying look at that face full of love. Oh my god. Fuck. Fuck me. How dare I write a meta on why these two are going to fight)

To me, this scene reeks of MK going "oh thank god things can go back to normal", and then trying to sweep everything under the rug without actually acknowledging or processing anything. He does something similar in 4x11, wanting to brush past Wukong's mistakes and rush to SWK's "path of the good guy" and "good life choices" so that he can move on.

When it comes down to it, MK doesn't want to have any issues with Wukong, but unfortunately there are very much issues. Wukong has tried his best to make amends and be better for MK, but MK isn't letting himself heal. He's running from himself, and he wants to pretend things are much simpler than they are.

And, once MK is forced to come face to face with how complex and messy both himself and Wukong are? I am expecting that kid to break and an all out fight to emerge. SWK V MK, Mentor V Student, Monkey King V Monkey Kid.

But, because Wukong is Wukong, he's not going to be able to go all out against his student (he couldn't even go all out against Macaque or Ne Zha), which, with how powerful MK is, that's not going to go well. That's where the gang steps in—they're going to have to try and put a stop to MK, and get him to see reason, to come back to himself. "Mend the fracture between [him]self and Wukong" if you will. Perhaps even Samadhi Fire Part 3 if we're lucky.

Or at least that's how I imagine it could go down!

#this turned into a “why SWK V MK is gonna happen” meta #woops #tldr: people will fight next season because they are absolutely miserable #just being put through the wringer #SWK V MK #lmk #lego monkie kid #monkie kid #lmk MK #lmk SWK #lmk meta #the light is no mystery #asks #god my poor legos #just so miserable all the time

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imminent-danger-came · 1 month

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swk vs mk fight that calls back to both the 1x07 sparring match where mk's trying to hit swk and swk just easily dodges out of the way, causing environmental damage but not directly injuring him, and the mk vs azure fight where mk is too Powerful and Angry for any of those tactics to even come Close to working. where wukong would desperately avoid having to directly hit mk until it becomes the only option. and then what happens? ive got no clue lmao. i can put this guy at a breaking point but i have no idea how the cracks will go

My personal take is that Wukong is not fighting back against MK. He'll defend himself, sure, but that wouldn't be enough to fight MK at full power, you know. He's got a lotta layers of immortality, right? He can take the hits (he can't), and avoid hurting MK (it's inevitable). He just has to get through to MK

#idk I'm like #Would Wukong choose to almost die before trying to land a punch on MK #I'm feeling like yeah #Someone is going to have to come save his ass (Mei)#like my dude pulled his punches against Ne Zha and Macaque. Even Azure honestly #he's just #He's not fighting MK at full strength #asks #gumy-shark #lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk SWK #SWK V MK

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imminent-danger-came · 5 months

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Really hoping in season 5 we get more snarky, annoyed, maybe even bitter MK moments

Like it is SO fun to watch when he's irritated and I think he deserves more moments where he is n can just let it out

When MK chewed out Azure in 4x13 I was CHEERING bro, I had been waiting for MK to lose it on someone. MK often echoes and absorbs what others say to him, which means he can then turn around and spit it back in their face. Even back in s1, with his little "Patience and focus, isn't that what you said?", this guy can be so incredibly bitter. He's going to dish out what he's been taking.

#AND IT'S GOING TO BE DURING THE SWK V MK FIGHT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME #lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk MK #asks #SWK V MK #because I want this tag on here

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imminent-danger-came · 5 months

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Do you think Macaque is meant to be fully redeemed as of S4? I don't personally think so but apparently a lot of people do ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, I guess it depends how you view "redeemed"! At this point, I fully believe that Macaque has become one of the "good guys" (even as we're continually deconstructing what that is). Macaque chose to help "make things right" in "Embrace Your Destiny". Macaque chose to help MK when he was at his lowest in 4x09. Macaque's choice to stay and face the end of the world with everyone else, in contrast to his 2x07, 3x10, and 4x11 (flashback) choices to run away, is an extremely significant development. This is juxtaposed to Peng in particular, who chooses to leave when things look too dangerous for them, ultimately abandoning their brothers ("Is there anything Wukong could do that would break his hold over you?"). We can see the ways in which Macaque has started putting others/the greater good above himself. The fact that he willingly offered to help Wukong in 4x11 is HUGE for him, and proves he has started to understand and even forgive Wukong. He's grown. He's starting to gain more noble traits.

HOWEVER, would I say Macaque's character arc is complete? Absolutely not! "Redemption" isn't the end all be all for an arc. Macaque still has plenty of places to improve (particularly with his relationships), and we could stand for an MK apology.

But, god be willing, in the event we get the "SWK & MK falling out", I hope Macaque is the one defending Wukong from MK. Reverse the roles. MK has been the one to constantly argue on Wukong's behalf to everyone else, he's been Wukong's greatest supporter (or his biggest fan dare I say). Macaque's been so deeply hurt by Wukong, and has arguably been one of Wukong's greatest disparagers. They'd be following in each others footsteps, so to speak. MK becoming more jaded and Macaque becoming more compassionate. After all, who knows more about the ways you can get too close to Wukong than Macaque! But, who else knows more about forgiving Wukong than Macaque? Though this was kind of a tangent lol.

Anyways, tldr: I think Macaque has been "redeemed" in the sense he's fully on team "protagonist" now, but he has plenty of room to grow!

#like they really did a lot of heavy lifting with Macaque in s3 #ESPECIALLY in 3x10. Will never forget the ''We're heroes! It's what we do!'' and Macaque's face looking at MK #The utter disbelief that MK would choose to stand by Mei. Would even *refuse* to leave her #On the god damn floor #*clapping my hands* Yay!!! I love legos!!!!!#lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk Macaque #SWK V MK #asks #lmk analysis #anyways hoping MK tears into everyone next season. Including Macaque #Ready for him to stop ignoring everything that's gone down lol #I'M GONNA GET MY s2 CATHARSIS. I SWEAR IT.

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imminent-danger-came · 5 months

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sunburst duo making me mentally ill again. hey did you know that throughout all 4 seasons that are out right now wukong has never landed a direct hit on mk or even someone wearing his face (cough cough macaque. but also he doesnt attack the ink mk after its weakened either). and all the buildup we have for a swk vs mk fight. god im so excited; we either get wukong desperately trying to avoid having to actually Hit mk (aka confronting things bc hes an avoidant bitch) or we get him finally Doing it (which he didnt even do while possessed). or both.

(i say this as if its not a win whichever way it goes because itll literally be a swk vs mk fight that we get to dissect)

I think currently, in my heart, I would love for the SWK V MK fight to have MK winning the whole time, with Wukong acting in self-defense. Obviously that wouldn't be enough to stand against MK, and at that point Wukong might just accept his fate (being so unwilling to fight MK he'll die for MK), and I then need Mei to come and save SWK's ass. Then we can get Samadhi Fire Part 3 and Mei can talk MK down.

But literally however the lmk writers decide to do it it's going to fucking SLAP SO HARD.

#I'm so excited for the cracks in their relationship that started to widen in s2 to FINALLY come crashing down #Like I love the 4x01 ''And swinging your big ol' tail around to get what you wanted!'' and #WAIT HOLD ON.#I'm just going to make a separate post #I'm not going to go on a long rant in the tags #I'm going to do it #lmk #lego monkie kid #asks #gumy-shark #SWK V MK #samadhi fire part 3

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imminent-danger-came · 7 months

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So, what are your thoughts on the "omg what if MK breaks the staff" of the MK vs SWK predictions?

So, admittedly I have never thought about this or heard of this. But now that the idea's been presented to me...

I kinda love it.

Post s3 I was expecting the staff to have a little bit more of a negative connotation moving forward (since MK tends to use it as a crutch/feels he needs it in seasons 1-3). In 4x08 we get MK saying "It's always my fault! Ever since I picked up Monkey King's staff I-" echoing Tangs words in 3x13 "MK, from the moment you picked up the Monkey King's staff, their stories became our stories. It's our responsibility to write the final chapter, no matter the outcome." and LBD's words in 3x14 "You're right MK. If you had never found that staff none of this would have been possible. A delivery boy to the end."

But, other than that—even despite the fact MK had assumed his powers came from the staff and he felt "incomplete without it"—in s4 MK returns to using the staff like normal.

Now, in s4 we also see Wukong using the staff more than we ever had before. In 4x07 he grabs the staff to attack the curse, and in the s4 special MK both gifts back Monkey King the staff (a moment I will never get over) and MK/SWK trade off using the staff against Azure. Whereas Wukong had given the staff to MK in AHIB, it seems now they have a sort of dual ownership over it. Which, I'm super excited to see how that plays out moving forward—but I also wonder if they're saving MK's eventual departure from the staff for later. One thing that I always notice watching s4 is the fact that while MK's in Monkey Form, he never uses the staff to attack. He only uses himself as a weapon ("You don't use a weapon, you are a weapon!" anyone?) so I think it's definitely going a "MK is going to no longer need/use the staff" direction.

And now, if the writers were to force this to happen by having MK break it during his fight with Wukong...that would be super interesting. I would quite possibly lose my whole entire shit, and I don't have many of those to spare.

#I can't believe Wukong gave MK his staff and MK gave it back (symbolically at least).#Like. That was basically entrusting the role of Monkey King to MK and MK fucking gave it back. It's so funny to me #''Here kid. The world is now in your hands- or no never mind I guess we can share it.''#You know what I mean #MK's gonna wish he still needed the staff in s5 me thinks lol #Now the staff's kinda a symbol of the s1 monster-of-the-week he can't return to #And yet it's also a marker for when this all started #at least from MK's perspective #HM. Okay but the staff being representative of MK's relationship to Monkey King #AND IF MK WERE TO BREAK IT #GOD. That's going on the wishlist #lmk #lego monkie kid #lmk analysis #lmk MK #lmk SWK #SWK V MK #asks #originally I was like ''I can't believe MK got his magical crutch item back'' and now I'm like hm. It's not gonna end well is it #Like it never ends well #Of course he's not just gonna lose it. It's gotta be worse than that they gotta make us suffer with it #On my hands an knees imagine SWK trying to give MK the staff back and then Mk just snaps it in two #the drama

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