A self-insert/oc-insert as Macaque from Monkie Kid. (SIM AU)
Now here me out, SI's and OC-Is are a pretty old trope right? But they've always been a pretty interesting and comforting one to me, especially those that move from our current modern world to a fantasy/sci-fi/historical one. Worlds so vastly different that you can't help but react and see them with fresh eyes, modern lenses.
Plus meme, angst and awesomeness potential (from a world that developed differently and its multitude of cultures).
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"I am the last living testament to a world that doesn't exist anymore. And if it does, it is forever out of my reach."
The SI gets born from a stone (i.e. Sun Wukong's origins) over 500 years in the past.
The setting of Monkie Kid is a cultivation world turned modern as time progresses, but at the time of his birth, it was absolutely just a cultivation fantasy.
In most cultivation settings, there are 2 sides: the righteous cultivators and the demonic cultivators.
Generally these are considered the good and the bad sides respectively
Demons are immediately slotted under the demonic side of course.
And well, we all know what Macaque is.
In some novels, demonic cultivation was pretty nasty, human sacrifices, blood, pain ect. Others were just literally cultivation than demon practitioners did.
My setting has a bit of both, the nasty evil stuff and the lesser know similar to regular cultivation practices that are slower than the nasty stuff but still work well.
FYI, even the lawful practitioners in cultivation could be pretty bad, so I'm including that to let them know they have no leg to stand on when throwing stones at my Macaque's cultivation. (Like they can't stop him, he's not doing anything evil)
He was constantly compared to his mother in his past life, from the similarity of his features to his abilities, so this Macaque intensely hates being compared to Sun Wukong.
He shares some abilities with the canon version of Macaque: enhanced strength and speed, jumping ability, shadow clones (lol), martial arts master and pole fighting mastery
Some distinct differences would be his ability to heal, pass on chi and deflect blows (think Kung Fu Panda) and his enhanced shadow abilities (think Nara clan from Naruto, Johnny 13's Shadow from Danny Phantom and possibly more, because the media has a lot of shadow abilities) and possibly more chi abilities ( there are a whole bunch to cherry pick and adapt from in the media), incredible hearing (near omnipotent hearing from legend, but idk. )
He'll have to have some weaknesses of course, but damned if I know what they are at this stage of planning
He won't have an easy time of it of course
In his initial state, he is almost pathetically weak
I mean, 21st century person thrown over 500 years into a fantastical past (yeah, I'm throwing him even further back than he thinks), with no means of acquiring food, water or shelter. He doesn't know anything about cultivation either aside from the vague notion there are stages, you have to form a golden core at some point and that there is retribution lightning that can kill you as you progress.
Also, he's now an anthropomorphic monkey in a legend where he's supposed to cause trouble, mess with Sun Wukong by impersonating him and then summarily gets discovered and his ass kicked, with a possible chance of death.
Yeah, he's not having fun with this.
He'll learn in time though.
He'll grow stronger as time passes and with training, and either forgets or is deliberately in denial about the Journey to the West
I feel like making him gain immortality like Sun Wukong, although, instead of it being deliberate, he gets it by accident and through tragedy/hardship? I mean, throw the guy a bone when he gets dunked on y'know?
Aaaand that's about all I got for now. I'll make a part 2 about him in the modern Monkey Kid time as well. Pretty interested in this idea tbh. Let's see how it goes.