✨Dax✨

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(TW for implied violence. Everything here is a concept, NOTHING IS CANON YET)

Hey guys! It's been a while, so I wanted to show off what I've been cooking up lately. Over the past few months, I've been working on a TV show concept based on mythology. You probably saw the Pre-Viz of the concept back in September.

As the concept has grown, I've been writing everything down into a mini "show bible" of sorts. I'm currently working on an animated pilot for the concept, which I will hold auditions for at some point in the future. So, in the meantime, I wanted to share the basics of the concept here! Hope you enjoy!

Note: elements and story beats are subject to change.

First things first: What is "Orion and the Monkey King"?

“Orion and the Monkey King” is a romance and fantasy show revolving around David Orion, a young man living as the only mortal in the Celestial Realm, a realm inhabited by gods and immortals from all. different pantheons. After meeting Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, he is asked to become his bodyguard, as his powers are going haywire. Now David has to deal with the mayhem and danger that come with the Great Sage while they try to figure out what's going on.

The show typically follows the lives of David, Wukong, and their friends. The characters face struggles, both magical and mundane, that follow the themes of belonging and what it means to live in a world not designed for those who are different. However, we see how these characters not only overcome those struggles but also thrive because of them.

Who are the characters?

Here, I'll explain the main characters, as well as our main villain. Keep in mind, there are other supporting characters that will likely be explained later down the line as the story develops in my mind.

David Orion

Age: 21-23

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Bisexual

Gender Identity: Trans Man

Species: Human

Dubbed “The Mortal Celestial”, David is the only mortal in the Celestial Realm. He was found as a toddler when demons attacked his town in the mortal realm. He resides in the old observatory within the Jade Palace and trains under his mentor and father figure, Erlang Shen. David takes his duties as a lieutenant of the palace guard very seriously, often prioritizing them over all else. All he wants is to be respected among his peers, especially the Jade Emperor. David has a deep love of astronomy. It could be because he lives in the Palace’s observatory, but still. When he’s not on duty, he’s usually either revising his star charts, working on his latest wood carving, practicing his guitar, or buried in a book (likely a sci-fi novel). 

David tends to struggle socially, often lashing out when he’s overwhelmed or angered. He learns over time that even though he’ll always be different in one way or another, he’s loved by his friends and family. Throughout the story, he gradually experiences the things most humans encounter as they grow up, such as making friends, exploring the world, discovering his identity, and, of course, falling in love, all in his own unique way.

David mainly uses his sword, which is engraved with seven dots to symbolize the Big Dipper. While he doesn’t have magical powers, he does have a small power-up in the form of a star amulet he wears around his neck (which was given to him by Erlang). The amulet, made with pure celestial energy, only activates when David is in life-threatening danger. When used, time seems to slow down for David, allowing him to escape a tough situation or devise a plan. However, this drains his energy greatly

Sun Wukong

Age: 1,000 (mentally 20-25)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Pansexual

Gender Identity: Gender non-conforming cis man

Species: Stone Monkey

Known for his strength and beauty, Wukong is a god who made a name for himself in Heaven for his mayhem, as well as his redemption from his journey with the Tang Monk. After his journey to the west, he was granted the title of Victorious Fighting Buddha. Since then, he has become an ambassador of sorts between heaven and earth. Wukong is a kind ruler with a heart of gold. He loves eating fruit and strolling through his mountain. He also has a beautiful voice, often singing to his monkeys to calm them down. He is the very life force of the mountain, so his voice would often enchant the mountain to help it heal from things like storms or demons. Overall, he loves his subjects with all of his heart and would do anything to protect them.

However, not everything is sunshine and rainbows for the Great Sage. Ever since his redemption, he has been under immense pressure from the gods to stay in line. To prevent any harm from coming to his people, he conforms, though there are times when his true rebellious self shines through. Over time, this performative perfection makes him one of the most wanted bachelors in the Celestial Realm, though no one has managed to win his heart yet. Wukong’s arch revolves around finding people who love him for who he is, not the mask he puts on, as well as figuring out what makes him himself, other than his titles and fighting. He learns that he loves painting and playing the piano, which goes great with David playing the guitar. 

Wukong is famously known for wielding his golden staff and his nimbus cloud. However, Wukong can use his golden eyes of truth to detect demons and evil spirits, use his hair to create objects or clones of himself, and shapeshift his body into anything he wants. However, Wukong’s powers derive from his emotions. If he’s angry, his power would go haywire! In contrast, if he’s sad, his powers are noticeably weaker.

Julian Marcellus

Age: 700 (mentally 23-27)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Asexual

Gender Identity: cis man

Species: Celestial

Julian is David’s best (and only) friend. He’s a fellow Lieutenant of the Celestial Guard alongside his friend. The two have known each other since they were ‘teenagers’. Julian is David’s rock, offering him advice and support whenever he needs it. However, he’s also a great soldier in his own right, who’s extremely intelligent and a key strategist. Julian was raised by his mother, an Asgauardian who is the librarian in the Jade Palace. He and his mother came to the Jade Palace after his father was lost in the Æsir–Vanir War. He met David when he saw him hiding out in the library. He didn’t see that David was mortal until he told him. Even then, Julian didn’t care. He was just happy to have a friend! His father used to work closely with Erlang’s regiment until he was lost during a battle against demons. Julian’s father was the one who introduced him to clothing design after he watched him make dresses for his mother. Since then, he’s dreamed about owning his own boutique.

Julian is a natural leader, always equipped with a new idea, both on the battlefield and in his clothing designs. He’s also very empathetic and seemingly able to read others (especially David) like a book. However, he can tend to act like a know-it-all sometimes.

Julian wields a battle axe and uses his intelligence to make plans in the middle of battle. Where the others are more of “make it up as they go” planners, Julian has plans FOR his plans. Alongside his smarts, Julian can control fire and lava by using his own body heat. Although his powers may not work as well in colder climates.

Longji Yu

Age: 800 (mentally 20-25)

Pronouns: She/Her

Sexuality: Lesbian

Gender Identity: cis woman

Species: Celestial

Longji is the eldest daughter of the Jade Emperor’s seven daughters. All her life, she’s studied all she could about being a good ruler. However, she’s also a very capable warrior who is skilled in martial arts and weaponry. Longji holds herself to a high standard, which causes her to expect the best to be given to her. She comes across as bratty and self-absorbed, but in reality, she just wants to be good enough for her father and kingdom.

A long time ago, Longji was tasked by her father to collect peaches for the Peach Festival. However, that was the same festival where Wukong wreaked havoc. Unable to do her duties, the Jade Emperor punished her by stripping her of her mortality and casting her down to the mortal realm. There, she became a powerful swordswoman, but was forced to marry a mortal named Hong Jin. However, when she was defeated in battle, her parents welcomed her back into the heavenly realm. Since then, she’s had a rocky relationship with mortals.

It doesn’t help when one day, Erlang Shen bring a mortal child to the Celestial Palace

Longji and David developed a strong rivalry. David thinks Longji is a spoiled brat, while Longji thinks David was handed everything, despite his mortality. Longji longs for the attention of Wukong to please her father. However, she later finds out she has a love for photography. While their rivalry is evident, Longji and David eventually grow to respect one another and rekindle their friendship.

Longji typically wields a spear, but also has the power to manipulate water and rainstorms. However, she has to be a certain distance from the water to interact with it.

Erlang Shen

Age: 2,000 (mentally in his 50's)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Straight

Gender Identity: cis man

Species: Celestial-Human hybrid

Known as “The Sacred Divinity”, Erlang is the lead General of the Celestial Army. He raised David as a toddler after he saved him from the demon raid. David always reminded Erlang of himself, since he, too, struggled to find acceptance among the gods as a young man. Erlang may not show it much, but he cares deeply about David and only wants what’s best for him. Like David, he takes his duties very seriously. He comes across as a stoic man, refusing to show any emotions. But inside, he’s just a man of few words who wants to protect his realm and the people he cares about.

When Erlang found David, the first thing he did was go to Guanyin for advice. He knew he had to bring the child back to the mortal realm, but something in Erlang compelled him to keep him. Guanyin used her divine awareness to see what the universe has in store for David. She explained how the child has potential for great things, but his future is up in the air. Erlang knows he can't just send the child back, since his parents are presumably dead. Not wanting David to experience the same hardships he did as a young man, he agrees to raise him as his own. He converts an old observatory in the Jade Palace to a living space for David, ordering the child not to leave unless Erlang is with him. That’s how most of his childhood goes until he joins the royal guard.

Liu'er Mihou

Age: 1,200 (mentally 20-25)

Pronouns: He/Him

Sexuality: Gay

Gender Identity: cis man

Species: Unknown

Our main villain, known as the Six-Eared Macaque. Mihou is similar to Wukong, being one of four spiritual primates. His six ears allow him to listen to both the past and future, comprehending all things. With that ability comes the ability to manipulate the senses of his enemies to throw them off guard or cause them to experience things that are not there. Macaque is the culmination of Wukong’s mistakes, a being that was given a second chance at life by someone. This person, like many of the gods, was wary of Wukong’s redemption. So to test him, they released Mihou to test how Wukong would react. However, Mihou took the opportunity to take his revenge. Mihou is doing what he believes Wukong can’t do- atone for his sins by casting judgment on the one he sees as wrong.

Mihou was once Wukong’s best friend and former bodyguard, even having a crush on the king back in the day. However, Mihou was always stuck in Wukong’s shadow. When Wukong was trapped under the mountain before JTTW, Mihou took on the role of Monkey King. Many years later, Mihou hears that Wukong was free and traveling with a monk. Enraged that Wukong didn’t return home, he devises a plan to sabotage the journey, complete it himself, and be recognised as the true king. When Wukong gets banished from the journey for a bit, Mihou disguises himself as Wukong, planning to kill the monk. However, Wukong stops him, forcing him to kill his best friend. This haunts Wukong long after the journey.

…

He will always haunt him.

Some quick World Building stuff:

The Celestial Realm is one of the main settings of the story. It consists of four main areas: The Jade Palace, Olympus, Asgard, and the Tree of Life. The Tree of Life is what gives the Celestial Realm its form and provides the gods their powers (specifically ones they were born with, not ones they learn over time) and a direct tie to the mortal world. There are four “head gods” who run the politics of the Celestial Realm. They are the Jade Emperor, Zeus, Odin, and Ra. 

I'm so grateful to have found a community where I'm free to be myself and embrace my interests.

Hope everyone has a safe, healthy, and exciting new year!

Cheers!

- Dax

Long ago, three races ruled over the realms: HUMANS, IMMORTALS, and MONSTERS.

However, through the chaos of the world, one being stood out from the rest. Neither human, celestial, nor demon, this creature struck fear in the eyes of all.

One day, he started a war throughout the realms.

But after a long battle eventually…he was defeated.

The gods sealed him away under a mountain, believing the demons that were imprisoned there long ago would tear him to pieces.

However…something else happened instead.

The ask box is open.