#shihou

[boonalina]

Macaque meets 2009 Wukong

(Animatic)

Random idea that came to me at like 1am

[bananachiparts]

A stone monkey is born part 1

Part 2

Post by @daveythedaywalker · 9 images

💬 0  🔁 2  ❤️ 15 · Post by @daveythedaywalker · 8 images · The End I plan to write more but I wanted to finish this before changing the art

[kaynanarie]

Eyes of Gold (Part 16)

(A Wukong x Reader story inspired by Beauty and the Beast and Lutung Kasarung.) (First) (Prev) (Next)

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            Never before had the mountain felt so much like a prison. Every hallway you turned down seemed smaller, tighter than the last. The pitter patter of your dripping clothes and hurried footsteps echoed off the stone walls, only drowned out by the rushing pulse roaring in your ears. Heavy, stifling air pressed too close, barely breathable around the tight squeeze in your chest.

            Chaotic thoughts whirled in a torrent of emotions as you struggled to process everything that had just happened. From exhilarating jump to passionate kiss to aching betrayal in only a handful of moments, it was too much. You heart had been broken; shattered like the fragile hopes you had dared to act on. Nothing made sense anymore. Shihou’s friendship built on deceit. The Monkey King’s false compassion luring you to his lair. All you had seen, all you had felt, all you had been offered suddenly felt hollow and obvious all at once.

            In the end, you were nothing more than a foolish human that fell for a demon’s trick.

            The familiar sight of your room did little to bring you comfort. A room meant for a royal guest. A royal guest meant for the King and the King alone. Your hand hovered over the handle but you couldn’t bear to go inside. So many memories laid on the other side of the door. Memories of Shihou bringing you to safety. Revealing his demon form for the first time. His fear and relief while he tended your wounds. The warmth of his embrace while you slept in his arms. All things that had once brought you comfort. All at the behest of the Monkey King and his claim over you.

            Fresh tears dampened your cheeks as you turned away. Everywhere you looked brought up memories, raw and bitter-sweet. Even the tapestry at the end of the hall seemed to mock you.

            An impressive artwork of Monkey King himself, standing on the peak of his beloved mountain. He was dressed in full battle regalia, iron staff pointed in defiance to the Heavenly army above. It was a story everyone knew, the tale that spoke of Sun Wukong in respect and fear with one breath. Legends were one thing but you had seen it all in person; the golden armor and crown, his unmatched fighting skills, even his self-proclaimed handsomeness you knew first hand to hold weight.

            While you had never paid much attention to the art before, anger now flared through you at the sight. You quickly dismissed the Monkey King and his infamous legacy. It was what laid behind the story that interested you more.

            Shoving the woven cloth aside, you felt over the solid stone until the wall gave way, opening up to the small passage that had first brought you into the palace. Without a backwards glance, you stepped into the shadows, letting the tapestry and hidden door swing back into place.

            Darkness surrounded you, barely illuminated by the glowing moss dappling the carved corridor. With a hand pressed to the wall and careful, shuffled steps, you felt your way through the underground labyrinth. You were lost, no sense of direction or path, but still continued forward. The only care you had was to get away; away from the palace, away from Shihou, and away from the Monkey King.

            The deeper you dove, the darker the shadows grew and the heavier your heart felt. A bitterness brewed as your thoughts dwelled on the demon monkeys. It was a hard pill to swallow knowing you had believed their lies. Shihou, the peach friend you trusted, the one you could always rely on, the one you fell in love with. All his kindness faked for the sake of his King. And then there was Sun Wukong himself, offering you safe haven in your time of need for his own selfish desires. He barely acknowledged you and yet, somehow, demanded your love in return.

            Slow and aimless, you wandered the catacombs, quiet sobs and sniffles echoing in the gloom until you had no more tears left to shed. The heat of your anger cooled until only a numb acceptance chilled you. Even if you escaped the mountain, you had nowhere to go. Your sister’s banishment kept you from your village and the lands beyond held countless dangers. Being a guest of the Monkey King kept you safe but at a high price; one you weren’t sure you were willing to pay.  

            Despair was starting to set in when your weary eyes caught the faintest glow of daylight just ahead. Hurrying down the flight of uneven stairs, you finally stumble out of the mountain’s cold depths and into the outside world.

            Open, bright, and colorful, the surrounding forest filled you with overwhelming relief. It was a part you were unfamiliar with but a small, unassuming path guided your eager feet through the lush greenery. The fresh breeze and warm sunshine soothed your pains and banished the darkness from your mind. As you strolled, you mulled over your previous thoughts, sorting through the broken pieces of your heart with a clearer perspective.  

            Since your arrival to Fruit and Flower Mountain, it had slowly become your new home. The monkeys had welcomed you with open arms and treated you with nothing less than acceptance. Days of fun-filled exploring turned the palace and surrounding paths into a familiar maze. You even looked forward to visiting your old village and bringing them the mountain’s plentiful bounty. The journey alone was worth it, sharing clasped hands and teasing conversation with pleasant company.

            Thoughts of Shihou flashed through your mind, stinging and fluttering your heart all at once. Even after his admitted betrayal, your feelings were still too strong to ignore. You loved him and he cared for you, as well. There was no denying his affection; no amount of pretending could feel so authentic. All the times he protected you, took care of you, held you close and kissed you breathless. He even confessed his own feelings but held himself back in allegiance to Sun Wukong.

            Meanwhile, the Monkey King’s involvement was even more puzzling to you. His initial invite to the mountain and helpful offers afterwards had always been a mystery. Finding out his intentions were romantic seemed almost silly when you thought about it. You had only interacted with him maybe four times, had a total of two conversations, one in the midst of a demon battle, and just saw his face up close for the first time earlier that day. If his plan was to woo you from the start, such distance seemed like a bewildering strategy.

            Maybe he was shy, nervous, lacked an understanding of human customs? Or perhaps, as Shihou had mentioned, kept his distance for your own comfort? What few times he was near, Sun Wukong’s regal presence was intimidating but also, surprisingly assuring. He never demanded anything but compliance to the rules and kept his word to aid when asked. Noble, caring, and generous, he was a kinder King than the stories gave him credit for. 

            But he wasn’t the monkey you grew to know and wasn’t the one to win your heart.

            The sun was just starting to set when your small path joined a familiar trail. With renewed confidence, you followed it back towards the palace. You were still angry and hurt, far from ready to forgive, but calm enough to listen to whatever Shihou had to say. If it wasn’t too late by the time you returned, you might even request an audience with Sun Wukong himself. The King owed you an explanation and deserved a gentle refusal of his affections. Whether he accepted the rejection gracefully or banished you from the mountain, you only wanted the truth to be known.

            A small, hopeful part of you wondered if he would be understanding and grant his blessing in Shihou’s favor instead.

            You were still a ways off from the palace when hushed whispers and crunching steps reached your ears. Just ahead on the path, the flickering of torches glowed in the dimming twilight. You sighed, assuming the guards were out looking for you. Shihou might even be with them, leading a panicked search after your vanishing act. Twinges of guilt were shoved down as you waved your hands high enough to be seen through the trees.

            “Hey! Over here!” you called out. “You can go ahead and take me back to the palace if you want…”

            The words trailed off in confusion. Instead of monkey guards like you expected, the trio that turned to look at you were human; two men you didn’t recognize and a woman you, unfortunately, did.

            “On the contrary,” your sister spoke, leering at you like a predator spotting its prey. “You just saved us a trip there.”

            Something ominous prickled the back of your neck but still, you held your ground. “And what business do you have on Fruit and Flower Mountain?” you asked carefully.

            She smiled, sharp and cold. “Why, we were on our way to see the Monkey King, of course! There’s an urgent matter that requires your immediate return to the village. I’m sure he won’t mind you accompanying us.”

            You eyed her and the looming men suspiciously. “So, my banishment is lifted?”

            The answering laugh was mocking and mirthful at your expense. “Absolutely not! You see, when I was forced to make a deal with that bull monster, part of our agreement was arranging a marriage match for his son. I didn’t realize until your meddling at the lake how much you enjoy the company of demons so what better candidate could there be?”

            “Absolutely not,” you threw her words back with a sneer.

            “I’m afraid you won’t have much of a choice.” The two men stepped forward, flanking you on the left and right. Your sister only tutted in sympathy as your means of escape were cut off. “Think of it this way,” she spoke in a sickly-sweet tone. “You get to help the village like you’re always doing and stop being a thorn in my side at the same time. It’s a win for both of us, really.”

            In the blink of an eye, her smile dropped and her gaze narrowed to a glare. At her nod, the two men lunged, too quick to dodge. Both of your arms were grabbed, the grips bruising and unbreakable no matter how much you fought to be free.

            “Get off me! Let me go!” you screamed, icy panic flooding through you. “Help! Please help! Shihou!”

            Your desperate cries were silenced by something hard slamming against your head. The two men held you up when you crumpled, a throbbing heat radiating from your temple while the rest of you went numb and cold. Dizzying shadows crept in from the corners of your swimming vision and your mind turned fuzzy.

            “Let’s hurry back to the village,” you heard your sister’s voice, distant and muffled. “We can’t leave that demon brat waiting any longer and I’d rather not explain this nasty business to the monkey.”

            The last thought as you were dragged away was a silent plea for your peach friend to save you. Then the world faded to black and you knew no more.

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~🍑 Peach Friends 🍑~

@joyfulllittlething @iluxurycruisedthatship @drspecialhell @moondrop39-dovewing70 @happycarp @chibifox88 @rutabaga-menace @resident-cryptid @reynboe-sage @taffycandyqt @alicee-carter @epochal-oracle @unnisumi

(If you would like to join the tag list, let me know!)

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Emotional turmoil interrupted by more threats! This chapter was tough to write but I hope everyone is excited for what happens next! Thank you so much for reading and for all your amazing support!

Huge thank you to @y0y0ba for the amazing Shihou commission! 🍑

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You can also find this story on AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/60643669

[szynkaaa]

I haven't had much time to draw more monkey doodles, other projects have been keeping me busyyyyyy

Top art is a fanart of Shihou and Peach Friend from Eyes of Gold by @kaynanarie . about time Peach Friend gets carried around by Shihou (but also monkey form Shihou is very dear to my heart)

and then of course gotta draw my two favorite burdens smooching, Oz and Kiwi

[darkflierazura]

Peachbuds, for when you want angsty teen romance vibes instead of divorced never-married parents energy

Thanks to the hard work of @the-monkey-ruler translating and putting all the episodes of 美猴王 up on YouTube, I did end up watching about a 4th or so of the episodes and skimming the rest. More thoughts beneath the cut.

Favorite moments are when Shihou kinda just runs up, grabs Liu Er’s hand and runs off with him. Happens a bunch at the start of the series.

Uh, I think the op is neat. I like the battle version that plays in some episodes, I wonder if the unmixed audio is out there somewhere and if I can get it.

The little white dragon is cute, presumably he becomes the white dragon horse as every other pilgrim shows up in some form. Because of his expanded role, I think the inspiration for him is something like; SWK’s dragon demon sworn brother, Ao Lie primarily, and maybe maybe Ao Bing (I think he is visually reminiscent of the Shangmei Ao bing, and in the op what I believe is a prototype of him appears with 2 hammers, and I’m pretty sure xiao bailong is called the third son of the dragon king of the East Sea) (also why didn’t they just use Nezha for redboy’s scenes??? The timeline would add up better. . . whatever. He shows up at the end (looking like the version from the 2003 legend of Nezha cartoon as well imo))

Tbh I’m not actually sure if I find Peachbuds super compelling when taken with context of the whole series since Liu Er has a pretty destructive downward spiral and I think he’s kinda of a dick for most of it but not in a fun way like with lmk macaque. but I def get why people decided to ship it. The friendship and dynamic between the two monkeys is a through line for the entire show.

[mai-skylar45]

My Character Analysis of Liu Er Mihou from

美猴王/ The Beautiful Monkey King 2009

Or, this cutie with the rainbow ears 🥰

After rewatching the donghua for the 10th time, I decided to analyze the how’s and why’s with few theories of Liu Er’s descent into madness. My points will only make sense if you have watched THIS SHOW IN PARTICULAR!! NOT LMK!!

This is my theory:

I headcanon that as a child, he was adopted into the tribe out of the kindness of the Grandpa’s heart. The other generals/marshals most likely saw his ears as “strange” and wanted leave him out of their tribe. Similar to how they feared Shihou because he “wasn’t like them. He wasn’t normal.”

Grandpa had NONE of that nonsense and Liu Er was accepted, albeit cautiously.

It is a fact that macaques have a CLEAR HIERARCHY. Liu Er is a long tailed macaque, and life as an orphan and as a “lower ranked” monkey is NOT EASY. He’s protected because he has Grandpa’s (who is the alpha in this case) favor but how long will that last? What if he’ll be exiled?

Due to this fear, he does everything he can to earn his place in the tribe. He’s willing to do what others are not, and he’s even willing to put himself in danger just to earn favor. The marshals and the other monkeys grow to accept him because of his abilities and efforts.

This is his psychodynamic state that he doesn’t even realize he has. He’s scared of being an outcast and he wants to secure a place in the tribe. This will be important later.

This is the real reason why he wants to be king so badly. He THINKS it’s because of the usual reasons of power, status, even “coolness” but it’s actually because he knows that if he’s the king, NOBODY will ever discard him. It’s the only way to keep this family he found. He KNOWS he’s the most likely candidate for the throne once Grandpa retires and therefore has no reason to feel threatened.

And then enters Shihou. An outcast. A strange new creature that isn’t a normal monkey. Someone around his age. Someone just like him.

Liu Er might have sympathized with Shihou because he sees himself in this strange new golden furred monkey. Grandpa also had to advocate for Shihou to stay. The marshals didn’t accept him either. So, he wants to make sure Shihou has a better experience than he did. (And isn’t that the SWEETEST THING EVER?!)

However, Shihou is also NOT like him. Yes, Shihou might have struggled. But Shihou wasn’t insecure. Shihou easily befriended the other residents on the island. He managed to find medicine that no one else could. He manages to easily earn Grandpa’s love.

Which isn’t a problem. Until Shihou is announced to be the next Monkey King. The position that Liu Er wanted all his life.

Taken away from him. It wasn’t just the title. It was his security. It’s the psychological childhood insecurity that boiled up to the surface.

And it made Liu Er SNAP.

He worked SO HARD to earn his place. He worked so hard to keep Grandpa and the other marshal’s approval. And Shihou waltzes in with his bright smile and charismatic personality and REPLACES HIM. He gets to be king. Not Liu Er.

Credit to Liu Er though, he doesn’t actually snap and breakdown immediately. The dark voices he heard from the Nine Headed Lion Yao was what managed to ultimately tip him over to the dark side. To the point where he wholeheartedly wants to MURDER his old best friend.

In a metaphorical sense, the voice of the Nine Headed Yao could be his own voice telling him he wasn’t good enough. That it was all Shihou’s fault. In real life, this is how people end up being driven to madness by jealousy. It’s all in their head.

Shihou remains clueless to all of this mental deterioration of Liu Er until the very end. This is also a good example for how people in real life might not notice something is off with their friend, even their CLOSEST friend(s) until it’s too late.

This is my personal theory and analysis for Liu Er Mihou’s decay into evil in the donghua. It doesn’t justify his murderous intentions, but it does help explain it.

That being said, this Liu Er is a child. I give him WAY MORE GRACE. Everyone needs to love him.

(I wrote this kind of in a blur. So if some parts don’t make sense, that’s why.)

AGAIN THIS IS PERSONAL THEORIES BASED ON OBSERVATIONS AND SPECULATIONS!! IT IS NOT 100% TRUE!! It’s just what I think happened.

[themischeviousfandomhoppergnome]

AHEM

The Voting

REMEMBER THE LOCK IN POST REMEMBER GUYS

Vote for the one you want me to write for the 2nd-11th of February

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Voting ended onFeb 7

THIS IS POLL ONE OF MANY

[sachi]

☆ Konpaku Youmu // Touhou Project "Half-Human Half-Yuurei Gardener ver." ☆ 1/7 / Solarain ☆ October 2025 ¥25,000 ☆ Sculpt Shuan Shuan Paint Apostle Shito-chan Illustration Shihou