I don't know about everyone else, but I'm not really against spoilers and I actually would like to know the truth behind Macaque's "reincarnation" as soon as possible, please.
Because it sounds like Macaque learning the truth can be considered a slow burn in it's own way, and I'm not really a fan of that sort of thing.
The sooner I know something about a story I like, the better.
Because, like, another reason I want to tell everyone is because this fic feels VERY different when you know the absolute truth, and I don't want it to seem like I'm trying to trick anyone about what 'kind of fic' this is supposed to be and all.
(But, yeah, Macaque will be learning the truth verrrry slowly - especially since he'll be busy for quite a while just 'reacting' to 'everyone who ''wrongfully'' loves him' and the craziness of planning his adopted son's wedding and his biological son's and family's drama...)
Okay, so, like, I think I've FINALLY figured out a somewhat clear way to explain what's going on...
Here is the TRUE TIMELINE Of Events Happening Here:
- Macaque dies 2nd Death to LBD!Wukong in Original/Mostly Canon World (aka Chapter 1)
-Original Wukong & Co realize they can't just resurrect Macaque due to the damage done to his soul from LBD Resurrection & his traumatizing life
- Original Wukong figures out he can send Macaque's Damaged Soul to merge with Macaque’s Past Newborn Soul
- This creates an Alternate Timeline/World separate from the Original World (which Original Wukong & Co knew, so they are very sad, but know this is the only way Macaque can live and have a Fresh Start)
- Macaque wakes in New 3rd Life World/The Past as a newborn/merged soul with his memories intact of the Original Timeline
- Macaque’s actions in the New 3rd Life World further change everyone and everything around him as he inadvertently/begrudgingly saves and makes people love him due to his Future Knowledge & Skills/Different Personality (basically making this part of his story a Time Travel Fix-It)
- One such change was Macaque convincing Azure Lion to be smarter about the Celestial Revolution, which led to the war being drawn out for a long time
- Due to Macaque's influence, Flower Fruit Mountain is Neutral in the War until the Celestial Realm tries to make toddler MK into a weapon for war. They try to do this by trying to put a Golden Memory Circlet that would 'erase all the memories of one's life' on MK so he wouldn't fight them or try to get back to his parents
- Macaque gets in the way and is hit by the Golden Memory Circlet instead, but this only deletes/scrambles his memories back to his "Just Died 2nd Death" Memory Status
- 500 Years pass with Macaque in Coma
- Macaque wakes from his coma, but has genuine amnesia. He falsely believes he’s just died his 2nd Death (aka very last part of Chapter 1 and Chapter 2) and that he's an Imposter randomly thrown into an Adult Alternate Macaque Body when he's ACTUALLY NOT AN IMPOSTER
So, to put it in Trope/Meme Terms of the three important POVs:
*Macaque wakes in Chapter 2*
Macaque: I have somehow taken over an adult Alternate World's Self’s body and stolen their life, so I’ll pretend I have amnesia so that I'm not killed/hated for being the imposter I am.
Macaque: (I'm j ust pretending to have amnesia, of course)
3Life!Wukong: My husband has amnesia...
3Life!Wukong: Like probably COMPLETE Amnesia, so there’s no point talking about how—
Past 3Life!Wukong: —how, in my point of view, Macaque came from the future and changed me/everything for the better—
3Life!Wukong: —and that our lives right now is basically the Happily Ever After/Post Credits of Past Macaque’s Time Travel Fix-It!
3Life!Wukong: That'd probably be too confusing and stressful to get into, so I'll tell him about it later when he's healed more 😊
Original Wukong: Macaque cannot be resurrected again after his 2nd death, but I sent his soul to merge with his past newborn soul.
Original Wukong: This will create an alternate timeline and an entirely different world from ours for his 3rd Life.
Original Wukong: Clearly, there will be no confusion or misunderstandings.
*Enter: Who Did You Say I Am??? fanfic*
Macaque: Again, I’m definitely an imposter.
Macaque: Clearly my theory is right and they’re all wrong to think I have amnesia or love me.
Author POV:
Me: I want to have Amnesia Macaque, but for him to genuinely not KNOW he has amnesia
*comes up with this plot and quick posts the first two chapters*
Me: ...hmm, how do I explain to everyone THE TRUTH if this is supposed to be in Macaque's POV, but HE can't know for a while (cause it's funnier and angstier, but also therapeutic for Traumatized Mostly Canon Macaque the way Amnesia Trope Fics are supposed to be for the ones who get amnesia???)
Me: I really want everyone to know THE TRUTH since being loved/mistaken for someone you're GENUINELY NOT is not my cup of tea personally
Me: ...everyone will see my tags and probably instantly figure it out... 🤔
Me: *sees everyone's wild theories*
Me: Oh... oh no 🙈
Edit: I guess another way I could put this fic is: "Macaque has amnesia and has to re-learn why so many people dearly love him in this timeline he doesn't remember altering"
...could I have your thoughts if you don't mind? It's totally fine if knowing all of this makes it so this fic really isn't in your ballpark or personal preferences and tastes for a story 👍
Thank you for the explanation, and this does sound like something I would enjoy.
Though I've always been confused on how amnesia actually works.
Because amnesiacs sometimes can barely remember their own name so how do they remember how to actually do things like talk and eat and go to the bathroom?
As well as remember what common place objects like cars and T.Vs are?
Awesome! I'll also assume that means the explanation sounded clear enough, so that's good to know for future reference! 😁
You know, I really 1000% agree with you in not knowing how amnesia actually works and I've seen basically every weird depiction of it you can think of in media so I'm not sure anyone knows or it's truly different for everyone (like how people experience trauma differently).
Fortunately for those who write fantasy/magic-caused amnesia, as long as we don't break our own rules, it SHOULD be fine...
In this case, it's most accurate to say that the Golden Memory Circlet caused Macaque's memories of his 3rd Life to be "scrambled" and then locked behind a gate in his mind. So all the memories are THERE, but it's like finding something in a messy room and it HURTS Macaque to try and sort it all out, so he just continues to block it off until they're randomly triggered and regained.
(Such as Chapter 2 Macaque thinking about his "first impression" of Xiaotian and slightly remembering bits and pieces of naming Xiaotian after he was born, thinking about how Xiaotian reminds him of MK, and wondering if MK back in his Old World was doing okay before blocking it all out again. Now that he's awake, his mind can begin to heal properly and process things like it didn't do while it was in a coma and protecting itself from more pain.)
(I'll probably come up with more justification and reasoning as I go - coming up with reasons why something ridiculous works the way it does is one of my favorite things to do in writing 🤣 )
Anyway, the 3rd Life Group/Macaque's New Family will also believe that Macaque's memories are "scrambled", but not know how much or if anything got erased like the Celestial Realm intended, and just will be treating him as accordingly as possible.
And for the last situation about knowing what common things are like cars and TVs, if nothing else, Macaque has his 1st and 2nd Life Memories to keep him from FULL Amnesia Status so that's why, if he starts talking about the architecture in the palace, everyone won't be surprised, but then blame it on the Golden Memory Circlet if he does get something wrong due to it being different in his Original Timeline/his non-remembered 3rd Life alterations
(Like Macaque will be very confused by Nezha appearing like a Teen/Young Adult instead of appearing like a Complete Adult like he does in LMK Canon before finding out about how his Past Actions led to that)
Thank you so much!!! I've really figured out a LOT in terms of explaining from just this current back and forth - I truly appreciate you for inadvertently volunteering to be my sounding board because this 'Secret of Macaque's Reincarnation/Amnesia' topic has been truly bothering me ❤️ ❤️ 😅 ❤️ ❤️
Hope you don't mind me reading this but you wanted to know if people were down for spoilers and I HAD to check if you gave them yet. I am in fact super fine with spoilers and I am loving this idea. What a mess that has gone down! Poor Macaque. He needs lots of love and hugs as he recovers.
NO BCS I LITERALLY WAS THEORIZING: wait what if timelines got tangled or something together and while this world's mac got into a coma, his conciousness was experiencing alternate his life????? Yeah it kinda doesn't make sense when put into words but it makes sense in my mind haha
No, I get it!!! I SWEAR I've read something like that too!!!! Where, yeah, the person falls into a coma in one world, and then their consciousness experiences life in another world before dying and then returning to their ORIGINAL World (or vice versa)--
(...yeah, it was a Scum Villain fic - a great one too 😁 - and I KNOW I've seen other version of 'while in coma live another life' as well even if I can't think of it... 🤔)
LET IT BE SAID that I actually DO enjoy the Wild Theories (and that yours is ONE OF MY FAVORITES SO FAR 😉 ❤️ )... but also some of them fill me with SUCH DESPAIR because, like I said before, being "loved for someone you're not" is NOT something I'd PERSONALLY want to put any version of Macaque through because it's doesn't feel 'completely genuine' and it's even more depressing if they don't get to then keep that happiness and love in the end and TRULY this is supposed to be a purely Self Indulgent Macaque Appreciation Fic even if I'm a sadist who needs Macaque to go through Imposter Syndrome without actually being an Imposter-- 😭 😂
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Last Edited Fri 26 May 2023 09:21AM UTC
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