🍉⭐🩷AllyCat🩷⭐🍉

Something me and my friend @amethysts-angel214 came up with back in 2023

Cropee (Popee x Crescent)

Now, I know I'm gonna get a lot of backlash for shipping these two (mostly from haters), but come on, we all have our own opinions and personal headcanons for certain characters and that's okay! I respect your opinions :3

Now, with that out of the way, let's get started on how this came to be

1. It was originally a joke, and was never meant to happen

When me and my friends were in a group chat I made on Twitter, one of my friends @amethysts-angel214 showed this:

Mr. Macho My Classmate

We were joking on how the girl looked like Crescent's Chinchikurin counterpart, Seito Kure, and how Mr. Macho looked like Popee's Chinchikurin counterpart, Hanabishi Kuruwaya XD

And I was like:

"I wanna see how this would play out if we were to actually pair them together"

So we did (in the form of a story/roleplay)

2. The drawing that made it a reality

After the story, my friend showed a drawing she made, and when I saw this, I was dying of laughter:

Apparently, she drew Popee surprising Crescent with a kiss! XD

It was just too priceless to ignore lol

So much so to the point where we made a few more stores to play out on what we could do with them in the future

Speaking of which...

3. It's official! They're together forever!

One day in the group chat, I wanted to play out a story where Popee wanted to surprise Crescent with something

Something that would change both of their lives forever

Marrige

Popee decided to propose to Crescent!

And after the story, my friend showed a W.I.P. drawing on the two, but this time, I already knew what was coming by one single thought:

"I bet it's their wedding"

And sure enough, when she showed this, I started screaming in excitement:

Turns out I was right!

They DID get married! And it's been like this ever since!

So much so that they never wanna get a divorce XD

4. The future of Cropee

This has been a thing since July of 2023, and it's been going strong ever since!

Heck, my friend showed the two 13 years later:

Future!Cropee

(I know that we now know Adult!Seito's design, but this was made before it was revealed, so it may not be consistent XD)

With no plans for divorce, these two will be together forever!

Yeah, this pretty much sums up the explanation to how Cropee became a thing XD

You can check out my friend's page @amethysts-angel214 where she posts some more Cropee stuff!

More of this kind of stuff from me will be uploaded in the future!

He could be good; He could be bad; Present good and evil he could do at will. He'd be an immortal, a Buddha, if he's good; Wickedness would cloak him with hair and horn.

Whooooo, what a chapter! Wukong really went through it in this one. This is also a chapter that brings up a ton of odd inconsistencies to me: fertile ground for fic writing and private head canons alike!

For instance, Wukong is fireproof during the execution attempts, but decidedly NOT fireproof during the Journey. Perhaps none of the gods in the Department of Fire had mastered Samadhi Flame? Though Yu's footnote says, "this fire is possessed by many fighters or warriors who have obtained immortality (including Erlang)." Also, Laozi says that the pills and wine in Wukong's stomach were refined to a solid mass by the Samadhi Fire. Does this mean it was used against him during the execution attempts? Or Erlang threw it at him during their fight and we weren't told about it?

Speaking of Erlang, what is up with that knife he stuck in Wukong's breastbone/ shoulder blade? How was that able to pierce his "diamond body"? How was it meant "to stop him transforming"? Also, why--seriously, WHY--does the text mention that Laozi pulled it out before shoving Wukong in the furnace?? Along with loosening his ropes? He must have incredible faith in the strength of that furnace. Maybe he didn't realize Wukong still had his weapon on him? Speaking of, why does Wukong have his weapon on him? He pulls it out as soon as he's free of the brazier, but, like...he was captured mid-fight, surely Erlang didn't pause to let Wukong stick his staff back in his ear? And we know he can have his weapon taken away, since the Yellow Lion Demon steals it in ch 88.

...I swear I'm not nitpicking to be annoying, I'm just pointing out lacunae in the text that could be filled by a creative/ ambitious fan! And this chapter is so, so rich with scenes that set up Wukong's character (and trauma) for the rest of the book.

Not least--and a point that I'm honestly surprised doesn't get more attention--that Tathagata Buddha didn't just beat Wukong, he tricked him. He didn't just play to his pride (although that probably would have been enough), he also made the wager sound completely safe. "If you cannot somersault out of my hand, you can go back to the Region Below and be a monster." Like...yes, technically that is what he's offering...

Also, Bajie mention! Tianpeng was one of the celestial messengers who asked the Buddha to wait a moment to be provided with a carriage, giving the Jade Emperor time to persuade him to stay for a banquet. This meant that Tathagata was on hand to seal the mountain once and for all after Wukong managed to wiggle his head free. He also gave the commandment to have Wukong fed on iron pellets and molten copper. This is another fascinating dichotomy to me. @journeytothewestresearch has an excellent essay pointing out that being fed molten metal is a punishment meted out to sinners in one of the Buddhist hells. However, the novel says that Tathagata gave this order because he was "moved by compassion." The first time I read it, I assumed that...well, Wukong has a diamond body, he can handle 49 days (the sacred number required to attain transmigration after death) of smelting...maybe he can actually derive sustenance from iron pellets? But now I think this was an entirely different kind of compassion at work.

Sun Wukong's time beneath the mountain is a clear metaphor for death. He's literally been buried. In a sense, he's been totally removed from the world of the living ("not a single acquaintance has ever come to visit me") and from his own body (he can't MOVE.) My theory is that the Buddha actually ordered Wukong to go through a form of hell specifically to burn off his terrible karma faster. Buddhist hells aren't permanent; they are more like purgatories, meant to cleanse a sinner for rebirth. So Wukong had this hellish experience in order to speed his punishment along, so that his karma would not be quite so black when it came time for his "rebirth" (his release by Tripitaka and new life as a monk). Horrifying to contemplate how long he might've been stuck down there otherwise. Yeesh.

One last observation on this chapter: it is more than a little jarring to me how cheerfully the text bounces between Sun Wukong getting attacked/ smelted/ laminated, and lavish descriptions of awards offered to Erlang, lengthy formal presentations to the Buddha, and fabulous feasting by the whole of Heaven in the aftermath. The feast they throw for the Buddha far outstrips the peach banquet Wukong ruined! It's like he was never even there. Forget that monkey, let's get on with enjoying ourselves.

Honestly, I think this does nothing for a modern reader who's expected to believe these are the Good Guys. One more reason we all like to portray the Celestial Court as raging assholes in fan works!

...Speaking of, here's my shameless plug: I wrote a fic from the POV of the (very, very frustrated) Celestial executioner assigned to kill Sun Wukong! You can read it HERE. I'm very proud of it, in all its absurd and slightly horrifying glory.

Coloring book translations:

Sky: Wukong

Wukong: Master...

Subodhi: You [should] go.

Tripitaka: Wukong, let's go.

...🥺

Practicing the Lupin III art style to draw my gay slop ship with it

unused character in popn 20????? 😱😱😱😱

nah just zuke in popn art style

2p palette

They want to act like high levels of sickness whether it be airborne or foodborne are normal and not the responsibility of agencies like public health or food safety regulation so they can get away with dismantling them.

☘️